Diana Lynn Lewis

It’s with a heavy heart that we share with you the passing of Diana Lynn
Lewis, RN, loving wife, mother, and grandmother. It’s hard to believe this dynamic
woman is no longer with us after such a short battle with cancer, but she faced it and
fought with unparalleled bravery. Each step of the way, she was honest about her
assessment and frank with her family, friends and loved ones the entire time, giving us
the gift of bracing for the impact of her loss.

Diana began her life as a Navy brat, born in Portsmouth, VA to her father
Ertis “Nick” and Opaline Nixon. Ertis was stationed near Portsmouth and was later
deployed as the ship’s Chief Chef on the USS Kitty Hawk in Coronado (near her
beloved San Diego), CA. This beautiful island base is where she developed her love of
the outdoors and particularly the beach.

Being a natural “sun baby,” she was slightly perturbed to end up in Port
Hueneme where the fog covered her beloved sun often. Ever the optimist, she learned
the patterns of this marine layer and found her moments in the sun again over time.
Another highlight to her time in Port Hueneme is when she found the love
of her life in high school band, James “Bob” Lewis. Her time as a flutist near him as a
drummer is when they started making their own music together. After many times of
Bob asking her to marry him and being turned down repeatedly, he finally gave up,
which of course made her realize how much she loved him. They got back together
after a short break and have been together ever since, celebrating their 50th wedding
anniversary on September 21, 2023 (the 51st being this year).

They enjoyed their time as a married couple for about 4 years until they
welcomed their only son, Aaron Lewis on November 6, 1977. Her heart was full and
happiest spending all her free time with her husband and son. She began pursuing her
dream of being a nurse full time when her son was a toddler and achieved her
certification as an RN in 1985.

She found her calling in the Emergency Room where she always said, “I
never know what’s going to walk through my door” and that’s what made it so exciting
for her. She treated every kind of patient and would often nail their diagnosis before they
even spoke. Her intuition was uncanny and the care she gave was unparalleled.
Although she personally saved many lives literally, the impact she had on her patients in
other ways was equally significant.

After 20 years in the fast-paced environment of the ER, she was ready for
a new challenge and began working on the insurance side of medical care reviewing
cases for approval. It was a new way of caring for patients in that she didn’t work with
them directly, but instead she leaned on her diagnostic expertise to review cases and
see when additional care was needed or when hospitals were exploiting patients for
more money. She always came down on the side of the patient no matter the cost and
would regularly tear into bad facilities who failed to do the same. To call her a hero is an
understatement.

Her favorite part of the job as she would often say is, “I get to work in my
jammies!” And she would. These were the days prior to Covid lockdowns where we all
got to work from home “in our jammies,” and she could have easily phoned it in, but she
couldn’t stop herself from pouring everything into her cases. She regularly worked

beyond the hours required for her 9-5 setting, much to Bob’s chagrin, but by this point
her son was in college and didn’t need her day-to-day guidance anymore.
She and Bob thrived in this period together going on many trips and
having loads of adventures. From bowling leagues that played their final game in Las
Vegas, to trips to their timeshare in Kauai, and eventually finding their faith in the Greek
Orthodox church which led them on a whirlwind trip through Turkey and Greece, she
wouldn’t let them sit in one place for too long. All the while she continued working as a
nurse because it was her passion.

Quilting was another passion of hers. She began her journey with one
quilt, then another, which led to another and before long she discovered she was
hooked. One of her first big projects was a queen size quilt she made for Aaron’s
college graduation in 2002. Many people would let a challenge like this be the satisfying
end to a laborious hobby like this, but for Diana, she was just getting started.
Diana kept making quilts and after Aaron married his true love, Eva, and
after just a few short years they gave her another person to make quilts for, her first
grandchild, Franklin. She made blankies, bibs, quilts, you name it. She was in heaven
with every snuggle and coo. To top it off, she got another grandchild, Fiona, a few short
years later. Her enthusiasm for the craft was reborn at the new girly color palettes she
got to choose from.

Between her work as a nurse, quilting, time with her grandkids and kids
(she always referred to Eva as her “daughter” and not her “daughter-in-law”), her loving
husband, and time with friends and fellow congregants at the church, she had carved

out her own personal slice of “Heaven on Earth”. That’s what makes her passing so
bittersweet.

Although we’re sad to see her leave us so soon, we’re encouraged by the
sentiment she shared as she faced this transition with such courage, “I’ve had 70 great
and beautiful years. I got everything I wanted and I’m ok with going if that’s what He
wants.” The tears that fall from hearing these words are a mixture of happy and sad.
How can anyone argue with a woman like that?

Her entire life she laughed, lived and loved her way, which was 100%
authentic. And that’s how we remember her today, with 100% authentic love that is both
happy we were lucky enough to know her, and sad that we had to say goodbye. Let her
memory be a blessing to you each and every day, because that’s exactly what she was.
A blessing.

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