Diane Dawn McEntee

Published 12:40 pm Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Tryon– Diane Dawn McEntee age 76 of Tryon, NC passed away on March 16, 2023.

Diane was born on August 22, 1946, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Burton and Patricia Olson. When Diane was a year old, the family moved to Lakewood, California. Diane contracted polio in 1951, which resulted in life-long physical challenges. Her experience as a child inspired her career in medicine. After she graduated from high school in 1965, Diane attended nursing school at the Methodist School of Nursing, in Mitchell, South Dakota. She graduated in 1969 and moved to Denver, Colorado, where she began her 39-year career as a Registered Nurse.

Denver is also where she met her “Sweetie,” Mick. They married on November 4, 1971, in Geneva, Switzerland. After honeymooning in Switzerland and Paris, France, Diane, and Mick started their home in Keenesburg, Colorado. Their daughter, Adrienne, was born in 1974.

In 1979, the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where she and Mick lived for twenty years. They followed Mick’s career to Alexandria, Virginia, and after several years, relocated to the North Carolina Foothills, living first in Columbus, and then in Tryon. Diane and Mick moved to the White Oak Community in 2018.

Diane loved music. For decades, she sang in choirs, including at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, in Lincoln, and at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, in Tryon. Diane also loved to travel. After she retired in 2008, Diane and Mick journeyed to Alaska, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, the Panama Canal, Sweden, and to Geneva, Switzerland, where they renewed their marriage vows. In 2021, Diane and Mick celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, which was an important and meaningful milestone for Diane.

Diane was known for her generous spirit and service to her community. Post-retirement, Diane volunteered at Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, where she provided comfort to many as they neared the end of their lives. In 2015, she was elected to the Second Wind Hall of Fame for her service. Diane was fortunate to spend her last hours at the same hospice house, where she received exceptional comfort and care until the very end.

Those who knew and loved Diane will forever remember her signature wink and beautiful smile. Always positive in nature, Diane never let physical limitations stop her. Her determination was exemplary.

Diane is survived by her husband, Michael “Mick” McEntee; daughter Adrienne McEntee (Liz); sisters, Carolyn Kephart (Dan) and Brenda Brown (Jack); and numerous and beloved extended family and friends.

A Funeral Mass will be at noon on Monday, March 27, 2023, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Tryon, and will be officiated by Father Jason Christian.

Diane will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Condolences to the family can be made to http://www.sandersfuneralandcremation.com

Sanders Funeral Home
Columbus, NC.