Diane Nelson Wilson was born on Sep 9, 1946 to Edward M. and Bernice Lamb Nelson in Hendersonville, NC. Her family moved to Spartanburg, SC when she was very young. They stayed close to their mountain roots by going home about every weekend, much to her chagrin as she suffered from motion sickness which lasted throughout her life! They led a suburban lifestyle in a very wooded area where she attended schools that were within walking distance when she got old enough to navigate them herself. She graduated from Spartanburg High School in 1964 and went to the (at that time the women only) state teachers college called Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC, where she majored in English. She had by this time been spending the summers with an aunt who lived just outside of Asheville, NC. That aunt was a church member with Bill’s mother, “Lib” Wilson, who ran a kindergarten at the Arden Presbyterian Church. Diane had the option of going to summer school at Asheville-Biltmore College (now UNC Asheville) or getting a job. Coincidentally Bill, who was attending UNC at Chapel Hill, had the same options presented to him by his parents and he also chose summer school. He was asked/told by his mother that he would be happy to take Diane back and forth to school. It turned out to be a fateful meeting as they began dating and fell in love! When asked how they met, she and Bill always answered “she was a pickup”. On Feb 11, 1967, they decided to elope in the middle of their Junior year and got married while Bill was visiting her in Spartanburg. They drove to Rock Hill to avoid anyone finding out about it in Spartanburg and were married by a Justice of the Peace. They promised to keep it secret until that summer. Of course, she told her mother immediately while Bill did not. That caused him a lot of grief when his mother found out. They returned to Chapel Hill for Bill’s Senior year where she worked part time at a Sears store before landing a job in the Dean’s Office responsible for all parking permits on campus. As a Staff Member she got a much coveted parking permit which allowed Bill to easily walk to his classes by using the close in parking. Bill euphemistically observed he “did not take full advantage of the educational opportunities presented to him” and he and his parents attribute her to being the direct cause of his turn around in this area so he would graduate on time! Upon graduation, Bill found a summer job in Charlotte, NC to await his induction into the Army. While he was attending Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training and Officer Candidate School, she returned home and graduated from Winthrop in 1969 with her BA and a teaching certificate. Upon his commissioning in September 1969 as a 2LT in the Military Intelligence Branch, they moved to Ft. Devens, MA for his initial officer’s training. She did not like the winter weather but endured it as they already knew their first assignment in 1970 was to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii! They were there for 2 years and their first child, daughter Kimberly, was born at Tripler Army Medical Center in 1971. She enjoyed being a new mother, the warm year round climate, going to the beaches, hanging out with friends and making Hawaiian themed clothes. She often expressed her feelings that this was the best tour of duty station they had because it was like the honeymoon they never had and they made so many new friends. He was transferred to Korea for a 13 month tour in 1972 and she went back east to the Carolinas to show off Kimberly! She spent the first 6 months living in a rental by Bill’s parents and then moved to Spartanburg where she got an apartment to be close to her parents. There, she got her first teaching job at Spartanburg High School while her mother babysat Kimberly. One of the highlights of her life occurred when she attended a live concert with Elvis Presley in Charlotte with Gayle Eakes, her lifelong friend from junior high through College day. Upon his return from Korea, Bill noticed immediately she had become a much more independent and confident person than when he had left in 1972. In 1973, they moved back to Ft. Devens where Bill was reassigned to work as the Commander of an Intel Company supporting the 10th SF Group and as an instructor at the Intelligence School. Their 2nd child, son Daniel, was born in the military hospital there. She really loved the fall when the leaves changed and the family toured the Mohawk Trail! In 1976, much to her relief as she really detested New England’s winter weather, Bill was assigned to a Junior Officer professional education school in Arizona for about 6 months. They had the opportunity to see a lot of Arizona on weekends and holidays and some of her favorites included the Grand Canyon, Old Tucson, the Petrified Forest and driving part of the original Route 66. They also visited the Carlsbad Caverns (for which she wore a jacket the entire time) in New Mexico and even made a trip to Mexico while there! Through a great deal of finagling, they were reassigned back to Schofield barracks for 3 years. During this time she got her second teaching job on the North Shore of Oahu at Waialua High School. This school was primarily composed of the children of the workers in the Sugar Cane and Pineapple fields and she loved it! She taught them English and she learned Pidgin English! She was very much involved with the Officers Wives Club and they both developed friendships that have lasted through the years with many of the people they met during this tour. She still enjoyed the beaches and the occasional foray into the night life in Honolulu such as seeing Don Ho live, as well as walking the beaches of Waikiki, watching the surfing on the North Shore when the huge winter waves came in, dining in the Officers Club on Diamond Head and the gorgeous view of Honolulu all lit up at night, touring the Arizona memorial and seeing the original Hawaii Five-O being filmed! She began work on her Master’s Degree at the University of Hawaii but it was cut short by their reassignment in 1979 to Florence, SC where Bill became the Professor of Military Science at the Army ROTC Detachment at Francis Marion College. She also taught at the Florence Senior High School and completed her Master’s Degree at her Alma Mater, Winthrop. In 1982, Bill was reassigned to MacDill AFB. They lived in Tampa for two years where she taught in Hillsborough County. In 1984, she became a teacher in Pinellas County and they moved to Clearwater. She spent most of her time teaching at Safety Harbor Middle School as a Specific Learning Disabilities and Gifted teacher. Stating that the Gifted students would be successful no matter who was teaching them, she turned her attention to those who really needed it and considered teaching at the new Bayside High School. The then School Area Superintendent, who was in her adult Sunday School class, advised against it, the Chief of the School Police Department, a former SPPD Staff Officer known to her, advised against it because this school was specifically designed for students, who for legal and other reasons, were frequently absent and disciplined for missing too much school to keep up in their grade levels. Never the less, she volunteered because she knew she could make a difference. She and the other teachers in the school were selected to help get these students back up to their grade level. She truly excelled in the Language Arts arena and, according to her Principals, was the key reason they moved out of the “F” School category in that area. They asked her if she could do the same in the math areas! Unfortunately for them, she admitted that math was not her calling! She was a great innovator and became a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (a certification achieved by less than 3% of teachers nationally) while there. She would do anything to help her students and, like many dedicated teachers over their careers, spent thousands of dollars of her money to insure she had the necessary supplies, teaching materials and motivational incentives to get and keep her students focused and working to achieve their goals! Throughout her adult life, although raised as a “genteel Southern lady” who did “not sweat or perspire but glistened or dewed”, she was married to an admitted risk taker. Consequently, she would reluctantly try about anything at least once! She tried riding a motorcycle during the first tour in Hawaii and occasionally rode two up but stopped when she got pregnant, she tried skiing in the mid 80’s but gave it up after colliding with her daughter Kim while going by to see how she was doing in a ski class. Another unfortunate incident when Bill got her on the wrong lift into an Intermediate/Blue Square area clinched the deal. She did get a brand new ski outfit (which she never used) for not killing him and instead just questioning his intelligence, or lack thereof, for that mistake! She became SCUBA certified by Dr. Heyward Mathews here in Clearwater so she could go out with Bill, even though she was terrified of being under water. On one of her last dives she held on to Bill’s hand as she did for all of them. He reported that she nearly crushed his hand due to her anxiety. She tried roller coasters but her motion sickness proclivity brought that to an end. Although exposed to shooting sports by her father, she never developed a love for it but gamely went with Bill to try her hand at target and defensive shooting. She did enjoy golf, and while Bill said he had enough frustrations in life without trying to hit a little ball into a cup, she got him to go out with her occasionally until her arthritis made it too difficult. She steadfastly refused to ever go parachuting however! Throughout her life she had a deep and personal walk with Jesus. She was very active in both women’s and couples Sunday School classes and Bible Studies wherever she lived. She sponsored student led Christian Clubs and Bible Studies in the schools where she teached. She was a walking, talking example of a spirit filled follower showing Love for All in every area of her life. She didn’t wear it on her sleeve, of just talk about it; she demonstrated it in her life. In other words, She “Walked The Talk”! Next to her walk with Jesus, the most precious and important function in her life was being a positive and loving role model for her children and grandchildren. In this she excelled. While Grandad would sometimes get agitated with the kids and grandkids, she would calmly and lovingly work through whatever issue was bothering or confounding them at the time. She went on countless trips to Disney World, just walking around and occasionally going on the tamer rides with them. She loved “It’s A Small World” and “The Jungle Cruise” as much, if not more so, than they did. She loved walking thru the “Osborne Family Lights” at Christmas, as well as going through all of the Themed Hotels showing them the decorations especially the life sized gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian! Despite being tired, hot and frequently wet, she persevered with a smile and encouraging words for them. She was always an encourager and provided frequent praise about their art work, kept pictures of them on the walls, fridges and book/knick knack shelves throughout the house. She enjoyed taking them on vacations, by herself or with Bill and/or the families. She enjoyed showing them off at Family reunions. She retired in 2009, as did Bill from his second career as a Division Manager with the SPPD, and looked forward to many years of enjoying her family and friends. Diane wanted to make a trip back to Hawaii to celebrate our 50th Anniversary which they did in January of 2017. It was as beautiful as ever but the traffic was so bad she said she would never complain about traffic in the Tampa Bay area again! When she went by Waialua High School during their 2017 trip, a staff member told us that her then Principal was the Superintendent for all of the schools on Oahu! Unfortunately from the families and friends perspective, God had other plans for her after that. She was diagnosed with cancer in Sep 2017 and waged a valiant effort to beat it. The chemo was brutal and her whole body was affected by it. She generally kept a good attitude but even the strongest rocks can be worn away with constant irritation. During the last several months she began to increasingly feel it and she got to the point a few weeks ago where she said she was just tired of feeling miserable all of the time and began saying she was ready to go home to God. Prior to her departure she was asked to save a seat at the feast table but on her right side as she was a lefty and we didn’t want to be bumping arms throughout eternity! She passed away mid-morning on Mar 17, 2020 at home surrounded by her husband, daughter and son. We will all miss her of course, but for those of us that Believe in Jesus, we know that we will be with her again for eternity. Praise The Lord!
Curlew Hills FH
Curlew Hills FH
Diane Nelson Wilson was born on Sep 9, 1946 to Edward M. and Bernice Lamb Nelson in Hendersonville, NC. Her family moved to Spartanburg, SC when she was very young. They stayed close to their mountain roots by going home about every weekend, much to her chagrin as she suffered from motion sickness which lasted throughout her life! They led a suburban lifestyle in a very wooded area where she attended schools that were within walking distance when she got old enough to navigate them herself. She graduated from Spartanburg High School in 1964 and went to the (at that time the women only) state teachers college called Winthrop College in Rock Hill, SC, where she majored in English. She had by this time been spending the summers with an aunt who lived just outside of Asheville, NC. That aunt was a church member with Bill’s mother, “Lib” Wilson, who ran a kindergarten at the Arden Presbyterian Church. Diane had the option of going to summer school at Asheville-Biltmore College (now UNC Asheville) or getting a job. Coincidentally Bill, who was attending UNC at Chapel Hill, had the same options presented to him by his parents and he also chose summer school. He was asked/told by his mother that he would be happy to take Diane back and forth to school. It turned out to be a fateful meeting as they began dating and fell in love! When asked how they met, she and Bill always answered “she was a pickup”. On Feb 11, 1967, they decided to elope in the middle of their Junior year and got married while Bill was visiting her in Spartanburg. They drove to Rock Hill to avoid anyone finding out about it in Spartanburg and were married by a Justice of the Peace. They promised to keep it secret until that summer. Of course, she told her mother immediately while Bill did not. That caused him a lot of grief when his mother found out. They returned to Chapel Hill for Bill’s Senior year where she worked part time at a Sears store before landing a job in the Dean’s Office responsible for all parking permits on campus. As a Staff Member she got a much coveted parking permit which allowed Bill to easily walk to his classes by using the close in parking. Bill euphemistically observed he “did not take full advantage of the educational opportunities presented to him” and he and his parents attribute her to being the direct cause of his turn around in this area so he would graduate on time! Upon graduation, Bill found a summer job in Charlotte, NC to await his induction into the Army. While he was attending Basic Training, Advanced Individual Training and Officer Candidate School, she returned home and graduated from Winthrop in 1969 with her BA and a teaching certificate. Upon his commissioning in September 1969 as a 2LT in the Military Intelligence Branch, they moved to Ft. Devens, MA for his initial officer’s training. She did not like the winter weather but endured it as they already knew their first assignment in 1970 was to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii! They were there for 2 years and their first child, daughter Kimberly, was born at Tripler Army Medical Center in 1971. She enjoyed being a new mother, the warm year round climate, going to the beaches, hanging out with friends and making Hawaiian themed clothes. She often expressed her feelings that this was the best tour of duty station they had because it was like the honeymoon they never had and they made so many new friends. He was transferred to Korea for a 13 month tour in 1972 and she went back east to the Carolinas to show off Kimberly! She spent the first 6 months living in a rental by Bill’s parents and then moved to Spartanburg where she got an apartment to be close to her parents. There, she got her first teaching job at Spartanburg High School while her mother babysat Kimberly. One of the highlights of her life occurred when she attended a live concert with Elvis Presley in Charlotte with Gayle Eakes, her lifelong friend from junior high through College day. Upon his return from Korea, Bill noticed immediately she had become a much more independent and confident person than when he had left in 1972. In 1973, they moved back to Ft. Devens where Bill was reassigned to work as the Commander of an Intel Company supporting the 10th SF Group and as an instructor at the Intelligence School. Their 2nd child, son Daniel, was born in the military hospital there. She really loved the fall when the leaves changed and the family toured the Mohawk Trail! In 1976, much to her relief as she really detested New England’s winter weather, Bill was assigned to a Junior Officer professional education school in Arizona for about 6 months. They had the opportunity to see a lot of Arizona on weekends and holidays and some of her favorites included the Grand Canyon, Old Tucson, the Petrified Forest and driving part of the original Route 66. They also visited the Carlsbad Caverns (for which she wore a jacket the entire time) in New Mexico and even made a trip to Mexico while there! Through a great deal of finagling, they were reassigned back to Schofield barracks for 3 years. During this time she got her second teaching job on the North Shore of Oahu at Waialua High School. This school was primarily composed of the children of the workers in the Sugar Cane and Pineapple fields and she loved it! She taught them English and she learned Pidgin English! She was very much involved with the Officers Wives Club and they both developed friendships that have lasted through the years with many of the people they met during this tour. She still enjoyed the beaches and the occasional foray into the night life in Honolulu such as seeing Don Ho live, as well as walking the beaches of Waikiki, watching the surfing on the North Shore when the huge winter waves came in, dining in the Officers Club on Diamond Head and the gorgeous view of Honolulu all lit up at night, touring the Arizona memorial and seeing the original Hawaii Five-O being filmed! She began work on her Master’s Degree at the University of Hawaii but it was cut short by their reassignment in 1979 to Florence, SC where Bill became the Professor of Military Science at the Army ROTC Detachment at Francis Marion College. She also taught at the Florence Senior High School and completed her Master’s Degree at her Alma Mater, Winthrop. In 1982, Bill was reassigned to MacDill AFB. They lived in Tampa for two years where she taught in Hillsborough County. In 1984, she became a teacher in Pinellas County and they moved to Clearwater. She spent most of her time teaching at Safety Harbor Middle School as a Specific Learning Disabilities and Gifted teacher. Stating that the Gifted students would be successful no matter who was teaching them, she turned her attention to those who really needed it and considered teaching at the new Bayside High School. The then School Area Superintendent, who was in her adult Sunday School class, advised against it, the Chief of the School Police Department, a former SPPD Staff Officer known to her, advised against it because this school was specifically designed for students, who for legal and other reasons, were frequently absent and disciplined for missing too much school to keep up in their grade levels. Never the less, she volunteered because she knew she could make a difference. She and the other teachers in the school were selected to help get these students back up to their grade level. She truly excelled in the Language Arts arena and, according to her Principals, was the key reason they moved out of the “F” School category in that area. They asked her if she could do the same in the math areas! Unfortunately for them, she admitted that math was not her calling! She was a great innovator and became a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (a certification achieved by less than 3% of teachers nationally) while there. She would do anything to help her students and, like many dedicated teachers over their careers, spent thousands of dollars of her money to insure she had the necessary supplies, teaching materials and motivational incentives to get and keep her students focused and working to achieve their goals! Throughout her adult life, although raised as a “genteel Southern lady” who did “not sweat or perspire but glistened or dewed”, she was married to an admitted risk taker. Consequently, she would reluctantly try about anything at least once! She tried riding a motorcycle during the first tour in Hawaii and occasionally rode two up but stopped when she got pregnant, she tried skiing in the mid 80’s but gave it up after colliding with her daughter Kim while going by to see how she was doing in a ski class. Another unfortunate incident when Bill got her on the wrong lift into an Intermediate/Blue Square area clinched the deal. She did get a brand new ski outfit (which she never used) for not killing him and instead just questioning his intelligence, or lack thereof, for that mistake! She became SCUBA certified by Dr. Heyward Mathews here in Clearwater so she could go out with Bill, even though she was terrified of being under water. On one of her last dives she held on to Bill’s hand as she did for all of them. He reported that she nearly crushed his hand due to her anxiety. She tried roller coasters but her motion sickness proclivity brought that to an end. Although exposed to shooting sports by her father, she never developed a love for it but gamely went with Bill to try her hand at target and defensive shooting. She did enjoy golf, and while Bill said he had enough frustrations in life without trying to hit a little ball into a cup, she got him to go out with her occasionally until her arthritis made it too difficult. She steadfastly refused to ever go parachuting however! Throughout her life she had a deep and personal walk with Jesus. She was very active in both women’s and couples Sunday School classes and Bible Studies wherever she lived. She sponsored student led Christian Clubs and Bible Studies in the schools where she teached. She was a walking, talking example of a spirit filled follower showing Love for All in every area of her life. She didn’t wear it on her sleeve, of just talk about it; she demonstrated it in her life. In other words, She “Walked The Talk”! Next to her walk with Jesus, the most precious and important function in her life was being a positive and loving role model for her children and grandchildren. In this she excelled. While Grandad would sometimes get agitated with the kids and grandkids, she would calmly and lovingly work through whatever issue was bothering or confounding them at the time. She went on countless trips to Disney World, just walking around and occasionally going on the tamer rides with them. She loved “It’s A Small World” and “The Jungle Cruise” as much, if not more so, than they did. She loved walking thru the “Osborne Family Lights” at Christmas, as well as going through all of the Themed Hotels showing them the decorations especially the life sized gingerbread house in the Grand Floridian! Despite being tired, hot and frequently wet, she persevered with a smile and encouraging words for them. She was always an encourager and provided frequent praise about their art work, kept pictures of them on the walls, fridges and book/knick knack shelves throughout the house. She enjoyed taking them on vacations, by herself or with Bill and/or the families. She enjoyed showing them off at Family reunions. She retired in 2009, as did Bill from his second career as a Division Manager with the SPPD, and looked forward to many years of enjoying her family and friends. Diane wanted to make a trip back to Hawaii to celebrate our 50th Anniversary which they did in January of 2017. It was as beautiful as ever but the traffic was so bad she said she would never complain about traffic in the Tampa Bay area again! When she went by Waialua High School during their 2017 trip, a staff member told us that her then Principal was the Superintendent for all of the schools on Oahu! Unfortunately from the families and friends perspective, God had other plans for her after that. She was diagnosed with cancer in Sep 2017 and waged a valiant effort to beat it. The chemo was brutal and her whole body was affected by it. She generally kept a good attitude but even the strongest rocks can be worn away with constant irritation. During the last several months she began to increasingly feel it and she got to the point a few weeks ago where she said she was just tired of feeling miserable all of the time and began saying she was ready to go home to God. Prior to her departure she was asked to save a seat at the feast table but on her right side as she was a lefty and we didn’t want to be bumping arms throughout eternity! She passed away mid-morning on Mar 17, 2020 at home surrounded by her husband, daughter and son. We will all miss her of course, but for those of us that Believe in Jesus, we know that we will be with her again for eternity. Praise The Lord!
Curlew Hills FH
Curlew Hills FH
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