Diana Samuels

Both of her parents, Amos C. Duncan and Sybil Duncan, are pre-deceased.

Diana quietly and peacefully passed to her rest in the early afternoon hours of August 1, 2020; after a courageous battle with natural illness. She was an active member of the Gamboa Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in the former Canal Zone. It was there that she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Diana graduated from Paraiso Senior High School in Panama Canal Zone, Class of 1967. She continued her education by enrolling at Worcester State College in Worcester, Massachusetts where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree with emphasis in Secondary Education and Teaching. More importantly, Diana attended Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia and successfully completed her Master’s Degree in Technical and Professional Communication. Diana also established her faithful place of worship at Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Smyrna, Georgia where she held several leadership positions.

She enjoyed sharing her annual Mother/Daughter international travels with her daughter Dr. Sharmaine Samuels; and was a proud grandmother of three to her son “Sir” Anthony Samuels (Dena) and had several pictures on hand to show it. Diana was strong, driven, giving, and yet a private person. She would give money to people in need, a place to stay, or just an ear and open heart to confide in without hesitation. She built unique bonds with family and church members, classmates, neighbors, and co-workers. She was also apt to remember and contact everyone she knew for their birthdays. She was adventurous ziplining in her late 60s, competitive (especially with maintaining her lawn), loving, God-fearing, and a great cook with no one being able to replicate her oxtail with red beans and rice. She posed in EVERY picture attributing it to her Panamanian upbringing, and dressing in her La Pollera. Therefore, Diana was most thrilled to return to the Republic of Panama in February 2017 to join her former classmates in the celebration of their 50th Senior High School Reunion of the Class of 1967.

Diana was married to Eduardo Samuels in 1971, who pre-deceased her. In Addition to her two children, she is survived by sisters, Mrs. Esmelyn Welch (Edgardo), Mrs. Lucia Scott (Roland), and Florence Rickord; brothers Carlos Duncan and Michael Davis; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, grand-children, Church families, classmates and friends. We can all take comfort that Diana is resting peacefully until the sounding of the trumpet of the first resurrection.

● Funeral Services will be privately held at Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in Smyrna, Georgia on August 16th, 2020 at 12 Noon EST. The event will also be live-streamed at sdashiloh.org. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made at GoFundMe.com searching under her name.

● Interment to take place at Georgia Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery after the service.