Diane Mary Dietz

Diane Mary Richardson Dietz, 62, passed away on June 14th at St. Elizabeth Hospice, Edgewood, surrounded by her loving family.  She was the baker of the world’s best pineapple upside down cake, a lover of Christmas, and a connoisseur of movie theater popcorn, but we will remember her most vividly as a wonderful daughter, sister, friend, Aunt Deedee and momma bear.

Diane graduated from St. Henry in 1979.  2 years later, she wed her high school sweetheart, Jerry, and they were married nearly 41 years before his death in 2022.  In the 1980s, she worked as an accountant for Scripps Howard and Great American Insurance until she chose to be a stay-at-home mother after the birth of her first daughter.

This decision was emblematic of who Diane was.  She loved taking care of people and did it well.  She lovingly raised 3 children, cheering at sporting events, drying tears, patching up injuries, enduring teenage angst, and reminding them as adults not to be reckless.  All of this was done against the backdrop of difficult circumstances which resulted from her husband becoming disabled and unable to continue working while the kids were all under age 16.  These challenges would have defeated a lesser person, but Diane held her family together financially, emotionally, and logistically in a way that seems improbable, if not impossible in retrospect.  

Diane loved deeply and fiercely, often protecting others from pain and uncertainty by taking them upon herself.  She worked incredibly hard to make holidays and birthdays magical, never forgetting to celebrate family and friends on special occasions, big or small.  One of her purest joys was finding a trinket that reminded her of you; doubly so if she found it on sale in one of her favorite bargain hunting grounds. 

The fourth of seven children, Diane was integral to any celebration with her large extended family.  Whether packed into her parents’ home with people and wrapping paper covering every square inch of carpet for Christmas or cooking alongside her mother and aunt for Thanksgiving, Diane was fittingly the middle child in the middle of it all.  In recent years, she was a caretaker for her parents, helping them stay in their home as they aged and making sure they had company and anything else they needed.      

Diane was also an avid and talented bowler.  Twice a Greater Cincinnati USBC city tournament champion, she won the singles title in 2004 and the team title with her daughter and close friends in 2018.  She saw the Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe, Niagara Falls, and more while participating in national tournaments.  Through hip replacements and knee surgeries, she continued to play and play well until her diagnosis with gallbladder cancer last summer.

Diane was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Dietz, mother, Ruth Richardson, father-in-law, Fred Dietz, Jr., and sister-in-law, Sharon Richardson.  She is survived by her children, Michelle (Joe Groeschen), Chelsea (Alex) Stacy, and Jake Dietz, her father, Jack Richardson, Sr., her siblings Jack (Amy) Richardson, Jr., Greg Richardson, Renee (Larry) Murphy, Ron (Robin) Richardson, Shawn (Becky) Richardson, and Dave (Jenny) Richardson, along with many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.  

Visitation will be held on Friday, June 21st from 9-11 am at Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, KY, with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 11:30 am at St. Henry Church, Elsmere, KY.  Burial will be at Mother of God Cemetery in Latonia, KY.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Johns Hopkins University Pathology Department at https://pathology.jhu.edu/gbbd/donate