Diana Lynn Leasure

Diana Lynn Leasure (Davis) lived a life blessed by wishes that came true. As she struggled for breath and life at Christ Hospital following a massive heart attack, she summoned the last of her strength to tell doctors and family of her final wish - to spend the last days of her life at home. That wish was fulfilled as she was taken to her Lawrenceburg, Indiana home, where her life's journey ended with dignity and peace on the morning of November 17, 2010 surrounded by and embraced in the loving care of family.

Diana was born October 30, 1944 in Lancaster, Ohio, the first of two daughters of Charles and Marvine Singer Davis. She was raised in the small town of West Rushville, with those small town values that guided her throughout her life and where she worshiped with her family in a small Lutheran church and where she graduated from West Rushville High School.

She had wished as a young woman to make a mark in the world. She wanted to do something important, to make a difference, to serve others. Through hard work and dedication she herself made that wish come true. Following graduation from the Grant Hospital School of Nursing, she went home to that small town and small Lutheran church to marry Paul Leasure, whom she met while in nursing school. Together they would move to the Cincinnati area where she built her career as a Registered Nurse. After many years as both a nurse and advocate for people with mental illness, she retired from Longview State Hospital as Director of Nursing.

Her most heart-felt wish was to be a mother. She would play and laugh with and hug the babies of her friends and her voice would soften as she shared her wish to one day hold and hug her own babies. That wish was fulfilled with the blessings of the births of her two sons, Eric and Adam Leasure, the two amazing and caring men who stood by her in her final hours as she had stood by them through so many celebrations and so many struggles.

So happy was she in being a mother, she couldn't imagine anything better until she took on the best job in the world - grandmother to Nathaniel, Taylor, Alexandria, Riley and Jackson Leasure and Rachel Sexton. Her legacy to them is the memory of all those shopping trips with her girls, because all who knew her would tell you no one could shop quite like Diana Leasure could shop. Following the shopping trips, there would be those sleepovers at Grandma's house.

Diana was an avid Cincinnati Bengals fan and had season tickets. Some of the Bengals best and loudest coaching often came from Diana's couch as she and her boys watched games together.

She was the number one Temptations fan. There was Temptations music playing in the background as she took her final breaths in her own home, surrounded by her family. There are now those happy memories of Grandma Diana and her grandchildren off on a road trip to attend Temptations concerts - the memories of small voices and Grandma Diana's voice belting out all the well-known words.

In addition to Eric and Adam, Diana was comforted and nursed during her final days by the women who became daughters to her when they fell in love with her sons, Ginny Leasure (Adam) and Michelle Sexton (Eric.) They were with her through many illnesses. They were towers of strength during her passing, providing loving and gentle care so that her last wish of going home could be fulfilled. She is also survived by her sister who was also her best friend, Marla Brown of Lancaster, Ohio, and many friends who will miss her strength, determination and wisdom.

Her wishes for those she loved would be these:

*think of her when you hear a Motown beat and don't be afraid to sing as loud as you can to the words of those great Temptations songs

*remember her for fun and laughter in the good times and for strength and tenacity in the bad times

*celebrate her life by celebrating your lives

*believe as little girls that come from small towns with small town values do - that life is filled with blessings and that wishes really do come true.

Following funeral services with family and friends in Fairfield, Ohio Diana will be interred back home in Grace Lutheran Cemetery in West Rushville near that little church where she grew up as a girl and walked the aisle as a bride and where she will rest in peace beside her mother and father.

Visitation

2-4 p.m., Sunday, November 21, 2010 @ Avance Funeral Home

Service

4 p.m., Sunday, November 21, 2010 @ Avance Funeral Home