Diane Marie Dillard's Obituary
Diane Marie Dillard of Saint Helens, Oregon passed away peacefully surrounded by family and close friends on Wednesday, September 6, 2023. She was 81 years old.
Diane was born in Mason City, Iowa to Paul and Elsie Kruggel and was their only child.
Surviving Diane are her sons Daniel and James Dillard, daughter-in-law Charlie Dillard, her granddaughter Crystal Dillard and her Great Grandchildren Maddyson Ragner and Max Ragner all of Saint Helens, Oregon. She was a longtime member of First Lutheran Church in St. Helens.
Diane moved to Rainier, Oregon as a young child and then to Saint Helens, Oregon in 6th grade where she attended McBride Grade School. She graduated from Saint Helens High School in 1960 and attended University of Oregon. Diane married Max “Sandy” Dillard August 8, 1964 and they had two sons. Daniel in 1965 and James in 1968. Sandy passed away in 1998.
Diane went on to work for the Boise Cascade paper mill in St. Helens where she worked her way up from Executive Assistant for various mill managers to being the Communications and Public Relations Manager for the mill. In that role, she was very involved in supporting community groups, especially youth activities. She retired from Boise Cascade in 2009 after 44 years of service. Diane stayed active with local Boise Cascade retirees. She enjoyed planning the annual retiree open houses and always had a fun theme to go with them. She also owned and operated two floating home marinas in St. Helens Oregon.
Diane cared greatly for her community and was best known for her civic activities, volunteerism, and philanthropy. Over the years, she served on many public and nonprofit boards like the Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Columbia River Fire and Rescue, Sacagawea Health Center, Columbia Learning Center, and the PTO. She was instrumental in fundraising and helping keep the St. Helens fireworks going over the years. She received many awards for her outstanding civic service.
Diane was very involved in emergency and disaster management, being a part of the Columbia Emergency Planning Association. She was the first person to bring in the Red Cross to the area to assist first responders in disaster relief.
Diane’s extraordinary kindness was always present in whatever she was doing. She had a way of making everyone she met feel important and special. One of her greatest talents was as a connector of people. She could see the value in bringing people together for a better good for each other or the community.
It was the norm for visitors to her home whether doing work or just stopping by to leave with a chocolate treat or a jar of her homemade freezer jam. She always remembered important dates in people’s lives. If Diane knew your birthday or anniversary, you were just about assured of receiving a card or flowers as would you if you were ill, grieving, graduating, or getting married.
A viewing will be held Thursday, September 14th at Columbia Funeral Home from 3:30PM to 6:30PM and a public celebration of life will be held at 1:00 PM on September 30th at 34090 Skyway Drive in Scappoose, Oregon 97056 at the Scappoose Airport.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Diane’s honor can be made to Chance to Become Scholarship in Care of Columbia Learning Center. PO Box 1094, St. Helens, OR 97051.
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