Diana Marie Manhan

Diana was the first of three daughters born to Tony and Maria Manhan. Though she made her entrance into the world in Vallejo, CA, she grew up in Reno, NV. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School and Bishop Manogue High School (Class of ’62) where she made friends she kept in touch with throughout her life.

It was because of her job at St. Mary’s Hospital that she decided to become a nurse. That led to her leaving Reno to attend California Hospital School of Nursing in Los Angeles. Having made many good friends and having come to love the area, she chose to stay in California when she graduated from nursing school. (We suspect her lifelong love of all things Disney had its roots there too. No doubt from many happy times spent at the Magic Kingdom with friends and family.)

She remained in California for many years until an earthquake in Los Angeles, that severely damaged the hospital she was working in, got her thinking it might be time to move! A couple of years later, she and her best friend packed up and moved to the Pacific Northwest. Diana took a job at the University of Washington Hospital where she became a rehab nurse who worked with patients who had spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries. In her later years, Diana used her skills to do home care for physically disabled children – a job she deeply loved.

In addition to being a dedicated nurse, Diana was also very creative and an excellent cook. Those two things, along with the vibrant craft fair opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, led her and her best friend to create “Teddy Bears Kitchen” where hey made a wide variety of popular mixes for things such as cookies, brownies, dips, and breads, in addition to crafting a myriad of soft sculpture dolls, bunnies, ornaments, and pins.

Diana loved making other people happy and was extraordinarily generous to the people she loved and the patients she cared for. She was a loving caregiver and a bright spot for many, many people – including those who cared for her in her final years.

Diana is survived by her sisters Toni and Julie, her nephew Tony, and her great nephew Anthony. She will be missed more than words can say.