Diane Nees, 57

On Sept. 25, 2012, Diane Carol Nees lost her seven-year battle with a rare form of breast cancer. She died peacefully at her home in Kalispell, surrounded by family and aided by the skilled and compassionate staff of Frontier Hospice.

Diane was born on Sept. 7, 1955, in Connecticut, and as a young girl moved with her family to Las Vegas, then to Boulder, Colo., and then on to Colorado Springs, Colo., where she graduated from high school, earned her dental assistant degree and a real estate license.

She met her husband Ron in Colorado Springs and they were married in Aspen, Colo., on March 13, 1976.

For several years, Diane worked with her husband in various business ventures in Colorado Springs, until giving birth to her daughter Lesli on March 13, 1981. During her daughter's school years, Diane was a stay-at-home mom and loved participating in all of her daughter’s schooling and activities. She was always the first to volunteer and often said these were some of her most fulfilling years. During her daughter's high school years, Diane's popularity increased with school friends when she would occasionally take Lesli to school on her Harley, all decked out in her black fringed leathers. She was known as the "cool mom."

When her daughter left home to attend college, Diane co-founded a small manufacturing venture with her husband Ron, which quickly developed into a successful small company. Diane managed the company as general manager until the company was sold in 2003. As a manager, Diane gained a reputation as a meticulous organizer, highly efficient manager, and was well liked and respected by everyone.

While living in Colorado, Diane, Ron and their daughter would often travel to Kalispell, where her husband Ron was born. Many of these trips would be on their Harleys with Lesli riding with Dad. Diane logged more than 35,000 miles on her bike and became a very accomplished rider.

Diane and Ron moved to Kalispell in 2000 and traveled extensively in their RV until her illness made traveling impossible. Favorite destinations were Jasper, Alberta, in the fall, Morro Bay, Calif., in the winter months, and visits to family anytime.

Diane loved this earth and "all creatures great and small." She baffled medical experts, family and friends, with her ability to tolerate pain and suffering in order to continue to be here just a little longer. Whether it was the peaceful quietness of the mountains, or the vast vista of the seashore, this is where she loved to be and why she loved Montana and the Western states coastline so much. She had an incredible knack for spotting animals in the wild and could spend hours looking through her binoculars for just one glimpse of a bear, goat, wolf, elk, or even a small chipmunk or butterfly. She would spend days slowly walking the seashore looking for shells and bits of sand-polished glass. Her little dog Tobi was her treasured companion and when possible, was always at her side.

While Diane was very accomplished at many crafts, including stained glass, knitting, quilting and fly tying, her greatest joy was being a wife, mother, grammy, and a friend to many. Her husband often said that he never heard her speak an unkind word to him or anyone else in their 37 years together. Her sharp wit, keen sense of humor, and infectious smile, endeared her to everyone she met. Simply put, she was just fun to be with.

Her deep and abiding faith helped her throughout her life and most certainly through the difficulties of her last years of suffering. Some of her last words referred to being surrounded and visited by angels which provided great comfort when she was struggling the most. Psalm 23 was her favorite scripture and "How Great Thou Art" was her favorite song. She talked often about going to a better place with no more pain, no more suffering, and where all tears will be wiped away.

Diane is survived by her husband, Ron; daughter, Lesli Bellamy, and her husband Justin, with their two children, Siena (5) and Jonathan (2) of Selah, Wash. Her parents, Dick and Barbara Gavitt, and brothers, Glen and Mike, reside in Florida. Other close family members are children by marriage, Terri Benedix and husband Dean and family of Atascadero, Calif., Tom Nees and wife Melanie and family of Wenatchee, Wash., Juli Hendrix of Kansas City, Kan., and brother-in-law Tom and wife Pat and family of Annapolis, Md. Her Kalispell family is her mother-in-law Doretta Nees, sister-in-law Lois Wagner, sister-in-law Carol Brown and husband Les, and niece by marriage, Allison Young and husband Rory, and their son Max.

At Diane's request, she will be cremated and there will not be a traditional funeral. Her specific desire was to have a small, informal gathering of friends and family at her home in Kalispell. This celebration of her life will be on Saturday, Sept. 29. Refer to Diane's CaringBridge site for time and place.

In lieu of flowers, Diane requested contributions to the Susan G. Koman For The Cure, and the American Cancer Society.