Diane Johns

Diane was a warm-hearted, generous and vivacious woman whose family was her most prized possession. Living life for the moment, her personal philosophy was grounded in living life to the fullest and loving unconditionally.

You've got to dance like nobody's watching, and love like it's never going to hurt. - Walt Whitman

Diane Kay Granneman was born in 1950, in West Union, Iowa on December 14, the only child of Virgil and Phyllis (Schwinefus) Granneman. Her position as an only child left her longing for siblings and dreaming of the day when she could have a large family. While in High School, Diane enjoyed playing softball and performing as the drum majorette. She was proud of a trick in which she threw the baton and brought her leg over her head while it was twirling in the air. She also loved riding motorcycles, an enthusiasm that would last her entire life.

Soon after graduating from high school, Diane married her high school sweetheart, David Joe Stockman, in 1969. In fact, the couple had played in the same playpen as children - their parents used to talk about how cute it would be if they grew up and got married. Tragically, David died in a car accident three months after the arrival of their newborn daughter Stacey.

All I ever wanted to be was a Mom. - Diane Johns

In 1976, Diane was remarried, to Richard Nicholas Johns, a close high school friend who helped her cope with her recent loss and helped raise Stacey. Diane was now on her “mission of motherhood” and began accomplishing her dream of having a “litter,” gracing the world with: Jeremy Arnold, Kenzey Nicole, Landon Christopher, and Kesha Whitney. In addition to her children, Diane was the proud mother of two canines, Copper and Runt. Even with five children keeping her running around, Diane always found time to practice her religion of staying tan and blonde.

Although she was a little absent-minded, forgetting the correct name of her own children now and then,

Staceyjeremykenzeylandonkesha!!!! – Diane Johns

Diane compensated with her lively enthusiasm and constant expression of unconditional love. She never missed a single sporting event, concert or play of any of her children, cheering loud and boasting of her children’s obvious perfection.

Her beauty is eternal. – Stacey Stockman

Diane defined what it meant to be a woman. I (Stacey) still revisit the memories of watching her get ready to go out. I would sit on the bathtub and watch her put her makeup on, her lotion rituals, and the smell of her perfume. She was without question the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Growing older I (Stacey) began to not only admire and aspire to mirror her external beauty but also what was inside.

Trust yourself and the decisions you make. – Diane Johns

Life is filled with laughter but also moments of tragedy or pain. Diane was never one to judge or condemn anyone. Her ability to listen, love and advise was appreciated and often requested by anyone in need.

Boys will be boys. - Diane Johns

Once the boys hit their teen years, Mom figured out that “boys will be boys.” Mom learned very quickly that it is best not to fight it but rather embrace it and make sure the boys were safe - even if this meant 20, 30, 40, 50 of their friends over at the house until the next morning. She loved all of the boys including her “adopted” children, unconditionally. No matter what we did or told her, she was always there for support and to help us.

Throughout the years she got to see first hand exactly what boys do when they are boys: running cars into trees; coming home at 2 am and shooting AK-47s out her sliding glass door; coming home at 2 am and sleeping on the hood of the car; being so proud of ourselves the night we got the fireplace working and singed the Christmas stockings, burnt the mantle, and just about killed the entire family with the noxious fumes coming from the fuel of burning plastic and anything else we could find the in the basement to burn and later that night, being awakened again to hear Landon laughing and Jeremy falling off the roof because Landon gave him a broken ladder and knew he would fall when he almost reached the top rung.

Mom, from time to time, came home to see things you would only see in movies. Like the time in high school we (the guys) went out with the younger Patrick Coffey and got him so drunk we though he was going to die and didn’t want to get in trouble with the elder Patrick Coffey, so we took him home, gave him to Mom and left as fast as we could. Or the night Mom got a call from Jeremy because Jeremy and Josh hit a tree and Jeremy went through the windshield and Josh broke his arm. But this wouldn’t slow them down from getting their boat and beer back. Mom took us home and I (Jeremy) woke up Landon who said, “yeah, you can take my truck.” About five miles down the road, Jeremy got pulled over bleeding, without his driver’s license, no insurance / registration, no rear bumper and a little inebriated. I (Jeremy) still think I got pulled over because the officer thought it was Landon and that he had hit the goldmine! Finally – Landon’s off the roads!!! But he simply said, “slow down, get your stuff and go home.”

Mom, you’ve told me that story six times already – Landon Johns

There are probably more horror stories than any mother would ever want to know. But Mom always took it in stride, loving and caring for ALL of “her boys.” There are so many names that aren’t included and things that probably would have gotten us arrested. I (Jeremy) think I speak for all of the boys when I say we loved and will miss Mom.

I can’t have anything nice with you kids – Diane Johns

I think that we can say we broke more things as adults than we did as actual children. Like the time Jeremy and I (Kenzey) got into a fight and Jeremy pushed me into her prized set of mirrors, shattering every single one of them. I thought she was going to kill us. I ran so she didn’t do anything to me but Jeremy got beat by the wrath of Mom – she needed no weapon at that point. Or her simply saying, “if you kids are going to have a party, don’t scratch the tub with the keg or break my Norman Rockwell plates.” Or sneaking out of the house and coming home at all hours of the night only to find Mom on the couch, clicking the indigo light on her watch – that would be all I would see when I came in.

Being able to call her at any time and to talk about ANYTHING - I think that was what I will miss the most. Mom ALWAYS had her phone on her. – Kenzey Johns

After years of marriage, Diane and Richard divorced. Diane, however, came through with her zest for life untouched. In 1992, she met Rich Bergells, with whom she shared a passion for boating as well as a taste for the unexpected. The pair met at Huckleberry’s in South Haven while Richard was in town with his boat to see a friend’s band. Although they never were married, the couple had a long-standing engagement. Diane actually lost her engagement ring, and Rich claims that the diamond got bigger every time Diane got it replaced! Rich remembers that Diane was a beautiful dancer. He never tired of dancing with her; she flattered him on the dance floor, as well as in life.

I’ve never met anyone with such a great ability to love - Rich Bergells

Diane was an exceptional stepmother to Richard’s daughters, Chanel and Becky. They had a great relationship, and became friends with his children’s mothers. Diane and Rich liked riding Harley motorcycles together, despite an accident in the Black Hills where Diane drove off the road and broke multiple bones. Recently the couple rode to Daytona for Bike Week and to Sturgis, South Dakota. Diane truly enjoyed her time with Rich, and all the fun they had together. Just forward the calls to my Nextel – Diane Johns

Currently, Diane had been working with Rich and her son Jeremy at Mite-E Exterminating, a company owned by Rich.

She was my strength, my sounding board, my best friend. I was blessed to have had her teach me how to love, be loved and live. – Stacey Stockman

Diane remained very close to all her children throughout the years. She was always up for doing just about anything, often taking them to concerts, dancing, boating, beach going…anything, and they were always happy to have her along. This past summer, Stacey and Jeremy took Diane to her first professional baseball game to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field. Being a sports enthusiast and old softball goddess she was on cloud nine. Wrapped up in the moment of having seen Ozzy Osborne sing the national anthem, the smell of beer and hotdogs in the air she decided to be a “Johns.” With that decision you knew trouble would soon follow…and sooner yet Security. “Listen lady either you stop throwing peanuts at the spectators or we are going to have to escort you out of the ballpark” warned the Security/ Anti fun man. Mom gulped…Stacey and Jeremy laughed while pretending not to know her…after all they convinced her to do it.Her death is sad and unexpected. Now the family and friends have been pulled together and the one we really want to talk to is the reason we are all together. - Jeremy Johns

Diane died on Tuesday, February 24, 2004, at the age of fifty-three. She was preceded in death by her parents, Virgil and Phyllis (Schwinefus) Granneman, and her first husband, David Stockman. Diane’s family includes her fiancé, Rich Bergells of Kalamazoo; her children, Stacey Lee Stockman of Tequesta, Florida, Jeremy Arnold Johns of Kalamazoo, Kenzey Nicole Johns of Chicago, Landon Christopher Johns and Kesha Whitney Johns, both of East Haddam, Connecticut; two step-daughters, Becky and Chanel Bergells of Portage; two dogs, Copper and Runt; and one grand-dog, Buddy. A celebration of life service will be held at Life Story Funeral Homes, Rupert, Durham, Marshall, and Gren Portage Chapel 5975 Lovers Lane, on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. Friends may join the family for visitation from 4-8 p.m. on Friday. A burial service will be held in the Hawkeye Cemetery on Tuesday, March 2, at 12 Noon in Hawkeye, Iowa. Please visit Diane’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can read her life story, share a memory, order flowers, and make contributions to the Diane K. Johns Memorial Fund at any Fifth Third Bank.

Diane will be lovingly remembered as a vibrant, free-spirited, kind-hearted woman by all those lucky enough to have known her.