Diane Marie Batcheller Wilkins was born March 27, 1944 in Salina,
Kansas, the daughter of David Earl and Bernadette “Odella” (Dandurand)
Batcheller.
She was an only child and grew up in McPherson, Kansas. The family
later moved to Bennington, Kansas where she graduated from High School in 1962.
She attended Nursing School at the Halstead Hospital School of Nursing
in Halstead, Kansas where she graduated in 1965. Upon graduating, she
worked as a registered nurse at St. John’s Hospital in Salina, Kansas.
She was married to Thomas Unruh July 31, 1965. They moved to Aurora,
Colorado in 1966 where they raised their children Susan and Jeff.
She worked as the Emergency Room Night Supervisor at Aurora Presbyterian Medical Center and later was employed at Humana Hospital. Besides working as a nurse, she volunteered her time as a Girl Scout Leader, School Nurse, and also worked as a Reserve Police Officer for the Aurora Police Department. Diane and Tom divorced in 1984, but remained good friends.
Diane moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1987 where she worked at Cheyenne Memorial Hospital in the Emergency Room and Intensive Care Units for almost three years.
She married John E. Wilkins from Cut Bank, Montana on August 26, 1990. They lived and worked on a cattle ranch near Cut Bank for several years. While in Montana, she also worked as an RN at the Toole County Hospital in Shelby.
Diane and John moved to Minneapolis, Kansas in 1997 where they enjoyed their life in the country. Her last formal nursing job before retirement was at the Ottawa County Health Center. Diane and John moved to Centralia, Illinois in 2010. In December of 2012 they moved to Canton, Kansas where they enjoyed going to the senior center, traveling, and visiting with friends and family. John E. Wilkins preceded her in death on July 9, 2017.
She met her companion James Webb from Mena, Arkansas in latter 2017. They enjoyed each other’s company while making new friends in both Kansas and Arkansas. They provided much comfort and support for each other. Diane entered into eternal rest on Jan. 28, 2021 in Mena, Arkansas after a courageous battle with cancer.
Diane is survived by her two children, Dr. Susan Elaine (Unruh) Bobes and husband, David of Kerens, West Virginia and Jeffrey Allen Unruh and wife Julie of Wilton, Connecticut; Five grandchildren: Megan Bobes, Dalton Bobes, Riana Bobes, David Unruh and Sean Unruh and a host of other relatives and friends.
Diane worked as a registered nurse for 40 years and loved her career in nursing. She always wanted to take care of people in every sense and would always be the first person to want to help when people were in need. She loved her family, friends and her social life, and thoroughly enjoyed attending the Canton United Methodist Church and socializing at the senior center, especially playing dominos. She also liked to travel. She had a true devotion for her dogs (she always had several at any given time) and she was an avid Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs fan. She will be missed dearly.
A memorial service for family and friends will be held at a later date in Canton (Spring 2021).
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established with the Canton Senior Center, in care of Olson's Mortuary, Canton.
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