DiAnne Lynch
DiAnne Lynch died on Sunday, December 17, 2023 after a long fight against the incredibly rude and terrible disease of cancer.
Born on November 29, 1957, DiAnne filled her 66 years with love, curiosity, bright colors, and a little bit of mischief, with the help of her three siblings, Gerald John “Rocky” Reimer, Jr., Brenda Lucille Reimer, Jeffrey Dale Reimer. Growing up in Tuscola Illinois as the youngest of the four, she was tough and patient. By the time she became a nurse at Decatur Memorial hospital, there was not a lot anyone could do to intimidate or irritate her. As the youngest, she also grew to have zero respect for the concept of ‘private property’ when it came to her husband’s Cokes and would gleefully steal sips (unless it was secretly Dr. Pepper, her one weakness).
Whether you were her friends, her family, or the person behind her in line at the bank, to know DiAnne was to know her humor and generosity. Her drive to take care of those she loved was so strong that (more than once) we had to hide the detergent just so she would relax and stop trying to do our laundry all the time. She brought bouquets of flowers from her gardens to friends and made literally hundreds of mittens from recycled sweaters. She loved wild ideas encouraging others to have and pursue their own wild ideas became her professional legacy. She returned to education over and over, earning her nursing license, then bachelor’s degree and eventually her masters, encouraging others to do the same along the way. Even at her most sick, from the hospital bed she would ask the techs in the room, “Have you thought about going back to school? What’s your plan? What’s stopping you?” As a nurse, her patience, kindness and tenacity served her well. When she transitioned into a role in nurse’s education, her wild creativity shone- making props and games from old cardboard boxes, making learning fun, and always following ideas to their funniest and grandest conclusions.
To write a list of those who live on and continue to love DiAnne would be impossible, but a short list includes her husband, Kevin Lynch, daughter Caitlin Lynch, son-in-law Chad Beaver, her joyful, feisty granddaughters, Agnes and Cerys Beaver, and her siblings Rocky (along with wife, Debbie), Brenda, and Jeff (along with wife, Terri). Her found family also includes Kifer Troxell, Sandy Cable, Buster (the cat), and Jaxon (the dog). Currently, those who love and miss her are having a hard time trusting in her often-shared wisdom that this pain isn’t worse than “a sharp stick in the eye.”
Graveside services and a celebration of life will be held in the spring of 2024. In the meantime, we encourage anyone looking to honor DiAnne’s legacy to feed someone hungry, donate to any cause that will stick it to cancer, and to follow her motto to “find what gives you joy today.”
Hilligoss Shrader Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements. Online condolences may be shared via hilligossshraderfh.com
