Diane Peterson Pearce, warm, caring soul

Diane Peterson Pearce, 80, died in the loving arms of her family Saturday, July 20, 2024, with her husband, Joseph Robert Pearce, her daughter, Corinne Charlotte Pearce, and her son, Owen Eliot Pearce, by her side. She is also survived by her sister, Carol Peterson Booth; her brother-in-law, William Booth; and her two grandchildren, Charlotte and Jason Pearce. She was born in Vancouver, Wash., Oct. 18, 1943, to John and Madeline Peterson.

After Diane finished high school, she was accepted into an international program to study French in Aix-en-Provence. Upon completing her studies in France, she returned to the U.S. to finish her undergraduate classes at University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, Diane was hired to teach French and English at South Lake Tahoe High School in California. It was at that point that Mrs. Puccini, a friend of both families, told Diane to see if she could find a temporary place to stay with the Pearce family. One afternoon when Joseph was home, his mother came out to the backyard and said, “I want to introduce you to Diane Peterson, who will be staying with us until she finds a place to rent.” When Joseph looked up, there stood this beautiful blond. One night after he got off work, he was playing his records and Diane asked him what he was playing. He told her, “Bob Dylan’s Blond on Blond.” She responded to him, “You know I was introduced to Bob Dylan by Joan Baez.” That was the moment that started a romance that lasted over 57 years. They both developed a deep interest and practice in Indian meditation that helped them stay together for all the years of marriage, culminating in the births of their two beautiful children, Corinne and Owen.

Diane was known as a person with a warm and caring heart, especially to the many students she taught over the years, her family, and her friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 13, at Parsell Funeral Homes Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Hwy., Lewes. Visitation for family and friends will be from 10 to 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donate to Jusst Sooup Ministries, jusstsooup.org/donate, a local ministry run by Dale Dunning, that Diane held dear to her heart.

Visit Diane's Life Memorial webpage at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.