Diane was born on Sept. 13, 1957, in Winnemucca, Nevada, to Ruth and Raymond Clausen. She is the oldest of three sisters, Darlene and Debbie, who she kept in close contact with her entire life. During her childhood, her family enjoyed traveling to North Dakota to stay at their family’s farm during the summer. She enjoyed getting up early to work on the farm and swim in the watering hole with her cousins. She had many friends in Winnemucca and graduated high school in May 1976. She relocated to Boise in June 1976 to attend Links School of Business. In March 1977, she graduated with a certificate in Automation Secretarial. After business school, Diane worked for Buttrey/Osco Drug for 10 years. She rose to manage the cosmetic department and camera bar.
Diane met her husband, Kent Eckhart, On October 16, 1982, at a mutual friend’s birthday party. They were married on June 16, 1984, in the Cana Chapel at the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise. They enjoyed the early years of their marriage traveling, taking several trips with her parents, including a week in Hawaii and a Disney Cruise in the Bahamas which she greatly enjoyed. The two celebrated their marriage together for ten years before giving birth to their son, Cullen, in 1994. Two years later, they gave birth to their daughter, Emilie, in 1996. Thus began Diane’s greatest journey in life of being a mother.
Diane loved being a wife and a mother and was happiest when she was doing something for Cullen and Emilie. Early in their lives, she was their closest friend and strongest supporter. They enjoyed traveling to National Parks and camping as a family throughout much of their childhood. One of the hardest moments for her was when her children left home, bound for Colorado, while Emilie pursued school and Cullen his career. She looked forward to the daily phone calls with her children which faithfully took place, even as they went about their busy lives. Diane and Kent frequently visited them while they were away to watch Emilie’s soccer games or travel around Denver with Cullen. She loved thinking about, and planning, future trips with her family. Diane loved animals, especially all the dogs and cats she had over the years, and she frequently donated to the Idaho Humane Society. Her husband and children carry on her legacy of love, kindness, and tenacity for life.
Diane worked for the Boise Police Department as a Training Coordinator from January 1990 until her retirement in January 2019. During her tenure, she received the BPD and City Employee of the Year award twice! She was very fond of her job and those she worked with. Everyone loved her beautiful smile, helpfulness, and thoughtfulness that she showed towards all of them. Her favorite parts of the job were conversing with her colleagues and preparing training classes for all the BPD officers. Diane and her children were active in the BPD Police Activities League for many years. She leaves behind a legacy within the department of warmth and kindness even after several years of retirement.
In the years following her retirement, Diane pursued her passions for social gatherings, exercise, and projects around her home. She loved planning game nights and going out to lunch with her husband and friends. She loved walking and talking on the Greenbelt with her husband, sisters, and friends; riding her bike; swimming in her friend Linda’s pool; going to spin class; and any other novel activity that arose. At home, there was always a project being done. She loved working in her yard and remodeling the various rooms in her home. Diane enjoyed participating in community activities. She volunteered as a poll worker and provided security with MAV Event Services at various concerts and sporting events. She participated with Habitat for Humanity and was a firm believer in helping those less fortunate.
During Diane’s decline in health, she received tremendous comfort and care from others, and especially from her husband, her sister Darlene, and her sister Debbie who stayed with the family in their home during a large portion of her treatment. The team at St. Luke’s Hospice provided outstanding care during her final moments. Her final days were enriched with conversations of her life with her daily visitors, reading a never-ending stream of cards from family and friends, and enjoying her favorite sweet treats. She will be so greatly missed.
Diane is survived by her husband Kent, her son and son-in-law Cullen and Carlos, and her daughter and son-in-law Emilie and JP. She is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law Darlene and Rodger Bryan, their children, and their grandchildren; her sister Debbie Paszek, her children, and her grandchildren; her sisters-in-law Ruth Preminger and Liz Eckhart, their spouses, their children, and their grandchildren; and her brothers-in-law John Eckhart and Mark Eckhart, their spouses, and their children. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and Raymond Clausen; her grandparents; and several aunts and uncles.
A Celebration of Life for Diane will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, April 6, 2024 at the Boise Police Association Clubhouse, 7311 Potomac Drive, to reminisce on the joy for life Diane had and to share fond memories with others. Donations in Diane’s memory to the Glioblastoma Foundation and American Brain Tumor Association are greatly appreciated.
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