Dianne Miller Brock

Dianne Miller Brock, beloved wife, daughter, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend, died peacefully at home in Houston on Sunday, the 12th of November 2023. She was 92 years of age. Dianne was predeceased by her loving husband, John Berry Brock III, by her granddaughter, Elizabeth Jennings Brock, and by her devoted parents Albert and Viola Miller.

Born on the 1st of October 1931, Dianne fell in love with her grade school sweetheart in Lafayette, Louisiana, and married him on the 13th of June 1953. Dianne attended Louisiana State University and was a member of Chi Omega sorority. She remained an LSU fan and excellent Cajun cook throughout her life. A highlight of her Louisiana years was when she was Queen Evangeline of the Krewe of Gabriel, known as the oldest and finest of the Mardi Gras Krewes in Lafayette. She grew up fishing and hunting with her father and continued to enjoy these past times with her children and grandchildren. In fact, when it became difficult to get to the duck blind in her later years, one of her sons and grandsons rigged a tether onto a Jon boat that they used to pull her to the blind. “Laissez les bon temps rouler!”

In 1965, Dianne and John left Lafayette and moved to Houston, where she supported him through a successful career and enjoyed 69 years of married life. They traveled the world together and were blessed with an ever-growing family including their children John and Lori Brock, Val and Leslie Brock, Susan and John Wilkes, and Martin and Kari Brock.

She also leaves behind her 19 grandchildren and 12 great-grands. All remember their “Mimi” as warm, sweet, and joyful, as someone who encouraged them and made each one feel loved. “She always believed in us,” reflected one grandson and a granddaughter added that “her capacity to love and forgive is unmatched.” Her grandchildren will remember forever how her face lit up when she smiled and said hello to them.

An important part of family lore is her creation of “Kamp Kousins” at the ranch. Aside from the group times, her grandchildren treasured special times alone with her, whether on a trip or just enjoying morning “coffee” with her, and how totally enthralled she was when meeting their children (her great grands). Her extreme love of chocolate and her famous thin pancakes rank high in their memories. As one grandson described, “I remember thinking then that they must have been made from a special pancake mix or something, but turns out, Mimi is what made them special.”

Mimi was also known to have a little bit of firecracker in her, more “pluck” than she let on! At the announcement of his engagement, she told son John that it was about time for him to “poop or get off the pot!” She climbed to the top of the bell tower in Venice with a grandson at age 80 and surprised another grandson when she grabbed a shotgun to go after the armadillo digging her garden up!

Aside from armadillos, Dianne was a lifelong animal lover who raised 6 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, 3 parakeets, a hamster, a mouse, a flying squirrel, a skunk, and – perhaps the greatest of all – a pet duck named “peep peep” that she hatched out of an egg. In her Houston home, a squirrel she had befriended would knock at the kitchen window for a peanut she would give him by hand.

A woman of deep faith, Dianne was a devoted member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church for more than 50 years and a member of Daughters of the King. She was a four-time cancer survivor who had more than her share of life sorrows which she faced with both grit and grace. She never lost sight of her true life in God. She treasured being part of the “Joy” prayer group, friends who supported her until the end of her life.

The family is deeply grateful that Dianne was so well cared for in her later years by the amazing and loving team of Krystal Franks, Carolyn Washington, and Darlene Allen.

A memorial service is to be conducted at two o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 5th of January 2024, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the Bagby Parish Hall.

(For those unable to attend the memorial service, virtual attendance may be accessed by visiting Mrs. Brock's online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com and selecting the "Join Livestream" icon on the service section).

Those honored to serve as honorary pallbearers will be her lifelong friends with whom she shared both tears and laughter: Bill Drushel and Gayle & Don Keller. Joining as an honorary pallbearer is the family’s executive assistant Louann Gallagher, whom Dianne loved like she was her own.

In lieu of customary remembrances, memorial contributions may be directed to the St. Martin's Episcopal Church Endowment Fund, 717 Sage Road, Houston, TX 77056.

A “classy” lady until the end, Mimi taught us all how to love and the value of family. As one granddaughter noted, “She threaded our family cloth with love and loyalty.”