Diane D. Whittemore

Diane Doughty Whittemore, age 92 of Downingtown, PA died peacefully at home, surrounded by family and friends on Friday August 20. Born April 6, 1929 in Hollywood, CA, Diane was the daughter of the late C. Bruce Knox and the late Patricia Anne Chingren. She was later adopted and raised by the late Walter M. Doughty D.D.S.

Her beautiful and loving half-sister Deirdre Doughty Carlson predeceased her last year.

When Diane was about 5, she took tap dancing and Shirley Temple was in her class!! Diane graduated from LA High School (along with many budding Hollywood Stars) in 1946, attended one year of college at UCLA where she joined Delta Gamma sorority and then chose to go to a highly regarded secretarial school instead, finishing in two years.

Diane married her late husband Arthur Richard (Dick) Whittemore in 1950 (they were high school sweethearts!) and they shared 59 years of marriage together prior to Dick’s passing in 2009.

Diane spent most of her life being a loving mother to her two children, and being a corporate wife, as the family moved all over the country as Westinghouse more and more appreciated Dick’s business acumen. Diane was always ready to entertain with a spotless house, the perfect offering for the occasion and the etiquette that made everyone feel at home.

In her later years, as her health declined, Diane’s primary caregiver, Kathy, assisted her in making sure she was still dressed to the nines, decked out in her jewelry & hair coiffed perfectly. While she didn’t entertain as much at home, she always bought seasonal treats on every holiday for those who sat at her table in the dining room.

Diane is survived by two loving children Mike Whittemore (Carol) and Ann Whittemore Hicks (Tim Horning), and Trudy Williams, who she always described as a "second daughter" earlier in life, and in the last year, a "second mother", Grandchildren Dan (Brynne Zaniboni), Drew, Greg, and Steve Whittemore (fiancee Brittany Feldman), Ash and Allison Hicks, Sarah Horning (Michael) and Great Grandchildren Rooney Eliza Whittemore, Gabriel, Elijah, and Malachi Williams. Diane was a kind and generous soul who loved unconditionally. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 4 PM at the James J. Terry Funeral Home, 736 E. Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown, PA 19335. Visitation will be held from 3 – 4 PM prior to the service. Burial will take place at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Diane to Foundation Fighting Blindness or to the Navajo Water Project.

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