Beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend, Diana Robbins Dalton died Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, at Guardian Angel Homes after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Diana, also known as Mighty Mouse to those who knew just how mighty and determined she could be, was 80.
Diana was born Oct. 24, 1934, in Moscow, to Don and Nellie Robbins. She was schooled at the Ursuline Academy. After graduating from Moscow High School in 1952, she moved to Ventura, Calif., and trained to be a telephone operator. This career path led her to Colfax, where she worked for the telephone company and met her first husband, Charles W. Carter. She and Charles were married March 12, 1954, and they had three children, Christopher Robin, Denise Kathryn and Kevin Jerry. She and Charles divorced in 1970.
On June 3, 1978, she married Merl Dalton, with whom she shared a passion for golfing, family and community until he died in 2004. Merl, who was a pharmacist and owner of Marketime Drug, was Diana's soulmate. They did everything together, from working at Marketime, to conquering golf courses, to creating a home for their family.
While her children were young, Diana was busy as a housewife and homemaker; however, she also worked a variety of careers throughout her life as well. Diana worked for dentist Dr. William Chetwood and orthodontist Dr. John Vornholt. From these jobs, she picked up a passion for flossing, which she imposed on everyone who walked through her door. She also worked at the Nez Perce County Fairgrounds.
Diana also participated in many philanthropic organizations. She was initiated into PEO Chapter AB in Moscow in 1956. She later became a member of Chapter BL in Lewiston. In 1984 while president, she initiated her daughter, Denise, into the sisterhood. She also served as president of the Bryden Canyon Golf Course Women's Association.
Her family remembered her as a mischievous and loving matriarch who thoroughly enjoyed her time with friends, family and grandkids. Diana always sampled everyone else's food just to make sure it wasn't poison. Every grandchild was blessed with bright pink lipstick kisses, which she applied to cheeks and diaper-clad baby bums alike. She especially enjoyed taking her grandkids to Pizza Mill and traveling to new places with friends. Her house was always decorated with Christmas lights, and she had a ceremonial lighting every July just for fun.
Every nice day, and some miserable ones, found Diana playing golf. A member of the Clarkston Golf and Country Club, she was known as Mighty Mouse to her golfing friends because of her small stature and long drives. Her one piece of golfing advice was to "keep your !@#$%%@! head down," which she shared with everybody. She had a hole-in-one July 9, 1995, at Bryden Canyon's hole No. 3. When Diana couldn't make it to the golf course, she'd hit balls off her deck into the canyon, which is now Bryden Canyon Road.
When she wasn't golfing, Diana was a consummate entertainer and cook. Every holiday featured a table that was carpeted with food and a house filled with crowds of friends and family. Her favorite recipe was her Secret Pie. She ferociously protected the recipe but would happily make the chocolate-crusted cream pie for anyone who asked. Chocolate was a food group unto itself to Diana; she always kept a stock of M&Ms in her pantry and ice cream in her freezer.
Diana was preceded in death by her husband, Merl Dalton; sister and brother-in-law Corky and Don Ward; brother and sister-in-law Wally and Blanche Robbins; grandson Dirk Dalton; and brother-in-law Bob
DeYoung.
Diana is survived by her three children and their spouses, Christopher and Patricia Carter, Denise and Steve Ruddell and Kevin and Christina Schultz-Carter. She is also survived by her sister, Donna DeYoung; her brother and sister-in-law, Jerry and Barb Robbins; stepdaughters and their spouses Debbie Sweet and Dean Smith, Del and Keith McKinley and Casey Dalton; as well as 16 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren.
There will be a memorial service for Diana at
10 a.m. Friday at Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home, 920 21st Ave., Lewiston. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer's Association, 910 W. Fifth Ave., Suite 256, Spokane, WA, 99204.
Service Information
- Date & Time
- Friday, November 21, 10:00 AM
- Location
-
Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home and Crematory
920 21st Avenue
Lewiston, ID 83501
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