MCMAHON, DIANA LEONARD

Longtime Old Saybrook resident Diana Leonard McMahon died Friday, June 12, 2020, in New Haven, Conn., with her family at her side. She was 81. Diana was born Oct. 14, 1938, in Norwalk, Conn., to Elizabeth and Arthur Leonard Jr. She was raised in Bethel, Conn., with her twin sister, Pamela, and younger siblings, Arthur and Ann. Diana attended Noroton Academy in Noroton, Conn., where she met her future husband, Brian James McMahon, of Danbury, Conn. She and Brian married in February 1959. Diana raised their first son, Christopher, while Brian attended Yale Law School. Diana and Brian moved to St. Clair Shores in 1962, and to Grosse Pointe, MI, shortly thereafter. Their daughter, Meghan, was born in 1965, and their son, Cullen, in 1975. Brian and Diana returned to Connecticut in 1993, settling in Old Saybrook. A lifelong tennis fan, Diana taught herself to play at Lakeshore Village in St. Clair Shores and at Detroit’s Indian Village Tennis Club, where she perfected her famed “windshield wiper” volleys. Later in life, some of her happiest moments were spent cheering from the sidelines at Yale Varsity Tennis matches. Beyond the tennis court, Diana was a skilled collector and innovative restorer of 19th and 20th century furniture. From her beloved home workshop, she meticulously refurbished and repurposed countless pieces. A dull and dirty carpenter’s workbench became a gleaming sideboard; a rusted cast iron highway stanchion emerged as a gloriously detailed dictionary stand base; an encrusted factory cart was transformed to a beautifully functional coffee table. Her vision and creativity astonished her family. Diana was also a gifted and tireless photographer. From her acquisition of a Brownie Hawkeye camera as a young girl, a camera seemed an extension of her hand. She first printed her own black and white photos at home, moved on to medium format, and finally adapted to digital photography. Her ability to capture family and friends in candid, spontaneous moments created a collection of thousands of priceless images. It was one of her highest joys in life to give these images to her many grateful subjects. Diana will most be remembered for the dedication she showed to her children and grandchildren. She loved, celebrated and immersed herself in their passions: tennis, hockey, swimming, theater, travel, writing, basketball, motorcycle rides, Halloween parties, novels, dogs, movies, dancing, wood fires in winter, and all things Yale. Her kindness and interest in her children will never be forgotten. Diana is survived by her husband, Brian, of Old Saybrook, Conn.; sister, Ann Prout, of Deep River, Conn.; children, Christopher (Marsha Ladomer), of Dearborn; Meghan (David Swensen), of Madison, Conn.; and Cullen (Anne-Marie Peterson), of Greenwich, Conn.; and grandchildren, Eamonn and Galen Smith, and Katherine, Julia and James McMahon. A family memorial service will be held later this summer in Connecticut. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to: The Dr. Roy Herbst Fund at http://giving.yale.edu/supportRoyHerbstFund