E. Diane Sumrall

PHOENIX – E. Diane Sumrall, 75, passed away on July 13, 2018. Diane was born on October 13, 1942 to George and Imogene (nee Colley) Watt, in Watsonville, California. She spent her early teenage years in Bend, Oregon before moving to Phoenix in 1956. Diane graduated from West High in 1960 and Phoenix College School of Nursing in 1962.

It was at Phoenix College that she met Don and they were married on November 9, 1961. The marriage is in its 57th year. She worked as an RN for 35 years at Maricopa County Health Center until her retirement in 1997. After retirement she volunteered at Pioneer Cemetery Association doing research and grave restoration. She is survived by husband Donald, daughter Deborah Bender (Don), sons Gregory (Camille), Colin (Linda), and grandson Douglas. She has a sister, Jan Meyer, and a brother Jim (deceased).

She was very supportive of her husband and his partner Larry Johnson in establishing the Sun Cycle Bicycle Stores. She and Don traveled to many states in their motor home doing genealogical research. She also traveled to Scotland to see her grandfather’s house in Aberdeen. She was astonished at the good condition of the ancestral grave markers. The high point of that trip was celebrating her daughter’s birthday in Paris on Bastille Day with the fireworks lighting up the Eiffel Tower. She also made a trip to Ecuador visiting the tropics and to the Galapagos Islands.

The Phoenix summers were too hot so the family bought a beautiful cabin in Heber. It overlooked the forest and at breakfast one could see the White Mountains. She always had her camera and always enjoyed taking pictures of wildlife and flowers. A beautiful life that ended too soon. We miss her so very much. A private get together will celebrate her life later this year.