Dianne Yarian DeOms is smiling and at rest, wrapped in the loving arms of a God who never left her side. Throughout her 5+ year battle against brain cancer, she taught us all how to fight with fervor, live with laughter, embrace the day, and defy the odds. Best known as Mama D and Nana, Dianne leaves a legacy of love that will thrive for decades to come through the many people she impacted.

Born on June 9, 1949, Dianne never missed a chance to remind her siblings she was their parents’ favorite. She met Gary DeOms at the University of Maryland. He made her laugh and captured her heart. They went on to celebrate almost fifty years of marriage, raising two kids together and later embracing their role as Nana and Pop to their six grandchildren. Family and friendship were always their top priority.

If the strength and magnitude of our relationships define our wealth, then Dianne was a millionaire. She was surrounded by her amazing village until her final hours on this Earth. Dianne loved flamingos almost as much as going out for a good meal with great friends. She never met a steamed crab she wouldn’t eat or a person she couldn’t talk to. She was in her pew at the front of Kernstown United Methodist Church every Sunday and trusted God with all her heart. For over 25 years, she never missed a chance to volunteer at Camp Fantastic. She freely gave her time, energy, and talents to help the childhood cancer patients served by Special Love Inc. When she began her own cancer battle, she drew on the strength of the campers she knew to guide her steps and inspire her fight. Her laugh was contagious, her wit was wicked, and her lack of filter kept us all shaking our heads. Leading by example, she taught her children to value their friendships over all else. Her door was always open, so her heart was always full.

Preceded in death by her beloved husband, Gary, and both her parents, Dianne leaves behind her kids, Jodi McKay (Robert) of Charlotte, North Carolina and Bryan DeOms (Kendra) of Martinsburg, West Virginia; her six grandchildren, Ben, Tyler, Brady, Amanda, Quincy, and Wyatt; her siblings (and their families), Darlene Lantz, Janet Morrow, and Gregg Yarian; and a village of the most amazing friends a girl could ever ask for. At the end of a life well lived, what a blessing to say, “it is well with my soul and I am ready to go home.” John 11: 25-26

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested in Dianne’s honor to the Gary & Dianne DeOms HOPE Scholarship Fund for childhood cancer siblings at Special Love, Inc. (117 Youth Development Court, Winchester VA) and Kernstown United Methodist Church (3239 Valley Pike, Winchester VA). A celebration of her amazing life is being planned for later this spring. Meanwhile, seek out opportunities to hug harder, laugh louder, and practice random kindness in Dianne’s memory.