Diana Lynn Bober

March 24, 1963 ~ September 10, 2018

Beloved Daughter, Sister and Aunt

Diana Lynn Bober was born on March 24, 1963. Her parents, Michael Bober and Carolyn Kirby Bober, had met and married in Tehran, Iran, where they were both working for the U.S. government. Diana arrived a year after her big sister Alison was born. In 1964, the family moved back to the U.S., buying a house in Vienna, Virginia with a yard in front for sledding (it seemed steep if you were little enough!), and nearby, woods and a creek. It was an idyllic neighborhood to grow up in, with the dads competing for best street fireworks on the 4th of July, and lots of kids to play dress-up or catch crayfish with. In 1968, Diana’s dad was posted to Athens, Greece, where the family spent weekends camping and sailing (starting with a 14’ converted fishing sloop). In 1972, the family moved back to Virginia for a year, then on to San Antonio, Texas for two years.

Diana’s dad retired in 1974, and the family settled in Corpus Christi, Texas, where both girls graduated from Flour Bluff High School. The family had continued to sail on a lake near San Antonio, and now in Corpus Christi Bay; Diana also sailed a small Sunfish on the Laguna Madre canals.

Diana’s independent and adventurous spirit led her to Trinity University in San Antonio, where she studied theater. That same spirit led her to leave school early and move to Dallas and then New York City to audition for acting roles. Diana loved the hustle and bustle of New York, the diversity of people, and the multitude of wonderful museums, quirky shops, and delicious food that the city had to offer.

In 1991, Diana moved to Los Angeles, where her sister Alison (with husband Doug Gardner) then lived, to audition for film and TV roles. It was here that Diana’s love of the outdoors, born in her childhood days of camping and sailing, began to be expressed more and more through hiking. In Southern California, Diana had access to the coastal canyon trails and to hikes in the Santa Monica, San Gabriel, and San Bernardino Mountains. In 2007, Diana left Southern California for Las Vegas, Nevada where she initially supported herself through working for a catering firm (another of her lifelong interests was fine food!) and playing Texas Hold ‘Em. Hiking trails in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah saw a lot of Diana during these years, but the desert landscape eventually lost its allure, and in 2015 she moved to Gresham, Oregon (a town on the edge of Portland).

Another interest of Diana’s from as far back as high school – reading tarot cards and analyzing astrology charts for insights into character and guidance for decisions – became a professional calling while she lived in Las Vegas. Her clients would meet with her in person (either at a home, gathering, or space such as Healing Waters and Sacred Spaces in Portland) or by telephone. Diana’s clients came to her for discernment, guidance, or encouragement; Diana always listened to them with respect and empathy, and gave them wise and caring advice with the use of her tarot cards and astrology charts. Many of her clients had been coming to Diana for years, even as she moved around the U.S.

Her work with tarot and astrology also allowed her to express her artistic side. She drew, painted, and worked with computer graphics programs to create gorgeous pictures for her apartment and her astrology website. Many of her pictures can be seen on Instagram (www.instagram.com/dianastrologer/) or Tumblr (dianastrologer.tumblr.com). In 2018, she was working on designing her own set of tarot cards.

In Gresham, Diana’s work allowed her to hike on an even more flexible schedule. She could avoid the weekend crowds by hiking on weekdays, starting at sunrise on hot summer days, or enjoying midday fall foliage as it got cooler. Friends and family would receive texts and photos and even video calls of the spectacular scenery that Diana was hiking in, and of stunning vistas and panoramas that she captured with her lens. She loved being fit enough to hike even the steepest trails, and few among her family or friends could match her stamina.

Although Diana was fiercely independent (she never married or had children of her own), she was a strong believer in family. Diana’s family would meet her in New York for sightseeing , Las Vegas for (low-stakes!) casino gambling and fine dining, and Portland for hiking and visiting. Over time, her family grew to include a brother-in-law, who could match her in political passion during spirited conversations, and two nieces, Madeline and Isabel, whom she loved dearly. Diana was present at both of their births, and often said that being an aunt was better than being a mother! The girls adored their “cool aunt” in return, especially appreciating her dynamism and her openness to them and with them at every age.

Besides hosting family at her various residences, Diana traveled with them: on a road trip through the sky country of Montana and Wyoming; on trips to Las Vegas before moving there; on a road trip in 2005 with her mother and sister in honor of her dad, who had died that year; to Barbados with her mother; and residence-moving road trips to Las Vegas and Portland with her sister. She also visited her nieces in Virginia, most recently attending her younger niece’s high school graduation in June 2018. She had been thinking about making her next trip either to Ireland (ancestors on her mothers’ side) or to Iceland (more hiking!) with her mother.

Diana also valued her friends. From Texas to New York to California to Nevada to Oregon, if you were Diana’s friend, you were a friend for life. If you needed an honest appraisal of your life – you went to Diana. If you needed a gentle nudge or even a kick in the rear to get you to take a risk and go for what you really wanted – Diana was the one. If you needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to drop everything and help you out – you could count on Diana.

Diana loved animals, especially cats. She grew up with Salty and Twinkletoes (who ended up just being called Cat), and adopted kittens of her own as an adult: Bip and Bop, and then her beloved Hollywood.

On August 30, 2018, Diana’s life of adventure came to a close too soon when she met a cougar on a beloved Mt. Hood hiking trail. As all through her life, she fought to live – not for a life of safety, but for a life that was rich and joyful. She didn’t survive this fight, but her spirit of adventure, of love, and of joy remains in the hearts of all of us who loved – and were loved by – Diana Lynn Bober.

A private Family gathering will be held at a later date.