Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Diana Barnes was born Diana Lee Milliken on Jan. 23, 1940, in Los Angeles, Calif. She passed away at the age of 83 on July 15, 2023, in The Dalles, Ore., with her family surrounding her. A mom, sister, aunt, grandma, great grandma. "Nana." Gifted, brilliant, fun. Sassy, complex, tenacious. Warm, loving, kind, welcoming. Often sarcastic, occasionally self-deprecating. Extremely warm hugs. "Pilbows," "I'm hungry," "Nice to meet you, I'm Nana."
Guatemala mission trips, cruises with Shari, camping at Cape Lookout, archery trips with Ted's family, wrestling trips with Cindy's. Cooking with Dan's. Horseback rides through the forest, screaming in tunnels, mustang convertible, laughter. Life advice, late night talks. White water rafting. Long letters back and forth, absolute unconditional love, a survivor. Cuddly. Turquoise and silver jewelry, butterflies, a dash of leopard print. Small tattoo of a rose. Long nails (painted a lighter color), tan skin, short hair. Tabloids, Danielle Steel, Dear Abby. Bananagrams, scrabble, crossword puzzles. Michael Bolton, Kristofferson, Reba, Shania, Vince Gill. "Achy Breaky Heart," "Don't Take the Girl." A collection of pink glass, wind chimes, bird feeders, potpourri, houseplants, molded soaps, jars of clary-sage and rose hydrosol. Strawberry hard candies. A horse named Filly, a cat named Calli, a dog named Josie. A wedding cake business, "Sewing and Alterations by Diana." Sewing lessons for family, friends, neighbors, church members.
Bespoke dresses for school dances — for Cindy and later for grandkids (and their friends), last-minute Halloween costumes, outfits for family photos, for entire wedding parties. Painting with oil, watercolor, acrylic; painting on paper, on canvas, on smooth rocks. Paintings of trees, waterfalls, mountains, animals. Painting with left hand after suffering a stroke. Creating, creating, creating. Face painting, calligraphy, upholstery. Resourcefulness, DIY crafty jerry-rigging. Puns told at dinner, stories during dessert. Chocolate-dipped strawberries. Giant bucket of scraps from wedding cakes (for grandkids' midnight snacking). A pie per person at Thanksgiving. Cream puffs, chocolate cake with whipped-cream frosting. Strawberry freezer jam and butter on warm, fluffy biscuits. Buttercream frosting, cookie assortments. Custom Christmas gifts; mittens that convert to fingerless gloves, warm hats, fleece vests for all the kids and grandkids. Mexican wedding cookies. Custom costumes for community theater; for local dance recitals. Tiered, ruffled, lace overlay dresses. Stitchwitch@gorge.net. Sewing mentor, cheerleader. “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” the Oregon Trail game, solitaire. Microwaved mug cakes after school. A raspberry patch in the side yard. Relaxing on the beach, digging for clams. Camping crafts, dreamcatchers made with yarn and foraged sticks. Pots of spaghetti with ground beef and sausage. Garlic bread, a campfire, surrounded by family.
We love you, Nana. We are so lucky to have known you. Love from: Ted, Dan, Cindy, Josh, Rachel, Ryan, Rose, Sara, David, Joey, Jesse, Joel, Jim, Tami, Lois, John, Tim, Anneka, and many nieces, nephews, and great-grandkids.
To plant a tree in memory of Diana Barnes as a living tribute, please visit Tribute Store.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.