Dianna S. Lawrence

Dianna Stearman Lawrence, age 69, died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday morning, June 29, 2014. She was a strong and courageous lady who battled respiratory disease most of her life, but anyone who ever met her loved her dearly.

Dianna was born in Louisville, Kentucky on October 12, 1944, the daughter of David and Virginia Stearman. She was a distant relative of Lloyd Stearman, the inventor of the Stearman biplane. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Education and taught high school for a year in Louisville. Shortly after that, she met her future husband, Bob Lawrence, while he was stationed at Ft. Knox, KY. They were married in Kentucky in January of 1972.

After moving to Waukesha from Madison in 1972, Dianna took a job as a medical editor at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Wauwatosa. She was also a freelance writer and part-time writing instructor. After dealing with some difficult respiratory problems, she retired from the Medical College in 1983. She then served as the editor of the weekly church newspaper at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Waukesha. She retired from that post after a number of years and continued to be a loving wife to her husband, Bob.

Dianna is survived by her husband, Bob, of Waukesha, a sister, Daphne Schuster (Rick) Kloss of Bradenton, Florida, a sister Deborah Stearman Meeker of Plainfield, IL, and a brother, David (Diane) Stearman, of Louisville, Kentucky. She is also survived by a niece, Summer (Luis) Liste, of Cincinnati, Ohio, another niece, Jennifer Meeker, of St. Petersburg, FL, a nephew, Jackson Meeker (Kerrilee) of Patrick AFB, Florida, and another nephew, Ryan Stearman of Portland, Oregon.

There will be a private family committal service at her gravesite at Prairie Home Cemetery on Monday morning, July 14, 2014. This will be followed by visitation at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 200 Richard Street, Waukesha, WI 53189 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm with a memorial service to follow. A light supper will be provided after the service in Nelson Hall at the church. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the church. Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, Crematory and Preplanning Services is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit our website at www.waukeshafunerals.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.