Diane C. Dandurand
July 20, 1947 - November 29, 2018

Diane C. Dandurand, 71, "Tinkerbell" flew into the arms of her heavenly Father on Thursday, November 29, 2018. She was surrounded by her loving family at her home in Salix, IA. Her strong will to live, unwavering faith in God, and the love and prayers of family and friends, carried her through her courageous, brave battle with cancer.

Visitation with the family present will be from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2018 at Mohr Funeral Home in South Sioux City, NE. A Celebration of her Life will begin at 7:00 P.M. with a reception following.

Diane was born in July of 1947 to her loving parents Oscar and Helen. As a child she was an excellent student who always worked hard and loved to learn. After graduating from Central High School in 1965, she went on to serve her country during the Vietnam War in the U.S. Air Force at the Pentagon. Diane loved her country and cared deeply about the state of the world. Following her dedicated service, she became a floor supervisor training students in cosmetology. She married her best friend and the love of her life, Richard E. Dandurand on April 19, 1969. High school sweethearts, they met at Browns Lake, and would eventually build their dream home there in the summer of 1976; there they raised their family over the course of their 50-year marriage. If you knew Diane, you knew that she always put her family first. She left her career after the birth of her first son, dedicating her heart and soul to raising her children. She was a lioness of a mother, fiercely protective and nurturing, with the selfless love and devotion of an earthly angel. She was always there for her family, teaching, listening, helping, forgiving, loving, and paving the way. She loved being a homemaker. Her home and family were her greatest blessing, her "heaven on earth." She enjoyed tending to her bountiful vegetable garden, beautiful rose garden, reading, running, cooking meals fit for a king's court, playing cards with her family, and feeding the geese at the lake with her husband. In 1986, she returned to the workforce after her husband became suddenly ill. Her strength of spirit, strong work ethic, and tenacity saved the family's home during this difficult time period. She worked at a pork processing facility, then a telecommunication company as a supervisor and received many accolades and awards for her dedication, hard work, and leadership of her team. Her last position was serving as a manager at a local home improvement store.
Following a brain aneurysm, she retired and answered the call of a work of love in adopting and raising two children from foster care. She cherished her family and played an integral role in the lives of her grandchildren. She believed that, "Love changes the world." Her unconditional love and encouragement nurtured her children and grandchildren to become their very best and follow their dreams. Always selfless and with a heart of gold, she led by example and was the perfect model for parenting, grandparenting, unconditional love, and faith.

She possessed the most beautiful smile, blue eyes, and contagious laugh that would light up the whole room. Through her love for God and others, she has captured the hearts of many, who even now are being changed by her witness of pure love and strong faith. She always said, "Love wins. Every time. Always." She leaves that legacy of love with everyone who was touched by the light of her beautiful spirit. Her signature gift of love and joy is forever written on our hearts and will never be forgotten.

She will be profoundly missed by many, especially her family. She was most proud of her children: Robert (wife Cherie), Daniel (wife Laura), Tammy (husband Brian), Fred, Kasie, and her 10 grandchildren: Zach, Luke, Kelsey, Cole, Richard, Eddie, Brianna, Noah, Grace, and Emma. She was greatly loved by her siblings Dennis, Donald, Patty, Chuck, Sandy, and Bobby. And especially her soul mate and devoted husband Richard, who misses her greatly.

Tributes