Dian Reber McGovern

Dian Reber McGovern passed away peacefully in the comfort of her home on April 9, 2024, at the age of 85. Born in New Orleans and raised in Big Branch in St. Tammany Parish, Dian enjoyed an active childhood, performing adagio dance with the Emma Pembo Academy of Dance and standing in the courts of various festivals and the Krewe of Mecca. She graduated from St. Scholastica Academy in 1956 and went on to work at Shell Oil Company in New Orleans, where she met her lifelong love, Dennis McGovern. They were married in 1958 and have spent the last 65 years together, living in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.

Dian was an involved member of the parents’ clubs at both St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic School and Archbishop Rummel High School. Being a talented artist, she turned her love of painting and doll making into her business Dolls by Dian, which she ran for nearly a decade. She loved creating splendid Christmas window displays at their home with her husband for their children and neighbors to enjoy, and she was a member of the Gulf States Quilting Association and other quilting guilds in both Louisiana and Texas. This passion for art and creativity lasted throughout her lifetime, and she created paintings, heirloom quilts for family and friends, and beautiful and intricate cross-stitch works that will continue to be treasured. Being an avid reader, Dian was rarely seen without a book in hand and often was reading more than one at a time. She loved dining out with Dennis, vacationing in Walt Disney World, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Gilbert Matteo Reber and Leonie Murray Reber, as well as her brother, Gilbert (Sonny) Reber, Jr. She leaves behind her beloved husband and best friend, Dennis McGovern; her sister, Anna V. Reber; her three children – Dennis (Jay) McGovern, Jr. (Darla), Dayna McGovern Boudreaux (Steve), and Daniel McGovern (Jane); and seven grandchildren – Devin McGovern, Emily Boudreaux, Dylan McGovern, Jennifer Boudreaux Harrison (Michael), Maggie McGovern, Madelyn McGovern, and Michael McGovern.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a visitation at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., in New Orleans, on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 1:00 P.M. A memorial mass will follow at 2:00 P.M. Interment will be in Metairie Cemetery. To view and sign the guest book, visit www.lakelawnmetairie.com.