Diane Johnson Bartz

After a strenuous battle with Vascular Dementia, Diane Johnson Bartz passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours of June 11th , one day after what would have been her 57th wedding anniversary. She is survived by her daughter, Beth Bartz Hoffmann, son-in-law, Mark Hoffmann, and their 12-year-old daughter, Tilly Hoffmann, and her son, Will Bartz, daughter-in-law, Emily Catherine Swartz Bartz, and their two children, Teddy Bartz, 11, and Maggie Bartz, 3. Diane was preceded in death by her husband, Bill Bartz, in 2001.

A lifelong Annapolitan, Diane grew up in the heart of downtown where she enjoyed many fun times running around with her cousins, Peggy and Patsy Patterson. Having a restaurant that was owned by her family (Cantler’s Riverside Inn), we will always fondly remember her sharing stories of the days where their menu included an appetizer of completely raw ground beef, and her sneaking into the kitchen refrigerator to take a bite out of the sticks of butter. Unfortunately, as she reached her teenage years, she was faced with some unimaginable tragedies. Her brother, Butch, left home when she was 16 and was never heard from again. Right on the heels of this, she lost both of her parents before she reached the young age of 20. Following along with the age-old adage that the sun will always come out even after the roughest of storms, Diane found her knight in shining armor when she met Bill Bartz during his time as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy. Immediately following Bill’s graduation from USNA in 1967, Bill and Diane got married on June 10th, 1967. They headed to Rhode Island for Bill’s service commitment and had a beautiful baby girl, Karen Elizabeth Bartz, on November 7th, 1969.

After returning to Annapolis in 1972, following Bill’s service commitment, the couple settled down in Admiral Heights while Bill held sales jobs in the plastics industry, and eventually formed his own business as a sales representative for multiple plastic bag manufacturers up and down the east coast. After 11+ years as an only child, Beth got a surprise in the form of a baby brother, William Emerson Bartz, who was born on January 27th, 1981. Much to Diane’s liking, both children put down their roots locally as Beth became a successful Senior Portfolio Manager at Morgan Stanley, and Will as the Head Varsity Basketball Coach and Upper School Math Teacher at his alma mater, Gilman School.

With the passing of her husband in 2001, Diane struggled to overcome another impactful loss of someone very close to her. Through these years, she found a lot of fun in creating a wonderful life for two Norwich Terriers, Hoover, and Willis. While she wasn’t with these two fur babies, she would make the trek over to Dover Downs to play her favorite Jackpot Party slot machines, often carpooling with many friends that she made along the way. Speaking of friends, Diane was well known to make it her mission in life to always make everyone she encountered feel heard, valued, and appreciated. Her empathetic nature to those around her, even those she knew briefly, forged many relationships for her that became permanent fixtures in her life. From her trash collectors to the person sitting next to her playing Jackpot Party that just lost their last dollar, she was always willing to go above and beyond to lift the spirits of those around her.

After all the trauma that Diane faced in her life, it was no secret or surprise that she battled depression and anxiety for most of her life. Through these battles, she found solace in devoting her time and effort to helping so many that were less privileged than her. After Will grew the STARs program at Indian Creek to include a scholarship component for the hardest working students in Anne Arundel County Middle Schools, Diane poured her heart and soul into giving the campers an “Auction” style finale that rewarded them for all their efforts throughout the three-week long summer program.

Before she faced her battle with Vascular Dementia over the past 5+ years, Diane frequently expressed how grateful she felt to have so many people in her life that became family to her, replacing all that she had lost. From many beach vacations and Christmas Eves at Lexington Market with Jack, Ruth, Beth and Stephen Rossman, to Christmas Eves and pool days with Aunt Rita and Uncle Joe on Simms Drive, to Saturday breakfasts with the Folsteins on 139th Street in Ocean City, to preparing the STARs end-of-camp auction with her incredibly supportive friend, Carol, loving her son-in-law and daughter-in-law as much as Beth and Will, having the one-and-only superstar, Rashad Jones, burst into the life of the Bartz family as a sponsored Midshipmen, to Emily and Will’s unofficial adoption of Troy Mason Williams, trips to Dover with Reenie, and her parents, Philip and Emily Maher, regular lunches with her childhood friends, Martha, Linda, and Katrina, and so many more that can’t fit in this space, Diane was able to fill so many voids in her life with the love that surrounded her from our non-blood family members.

While nothing would mean more to our mom than your presence at the viewing and/or mass (well, maybe 2nd to going to putting a fresh $20 bill into a Jackpot Party machine for her), we certainly understand that isn’t possible, especially for so many friends that are long and far away. Finally, if you wanted to do something in memory of Diane, we respectfully request a donation be made to SPCA Annapolis in lieu of flowers. Finally, from us, Beth and Will, we thank all of you for your love and support throughout the years being there for us and our mom as an empathetic, generous, and caring human being.

A visitation for Diane will be held Friday, June 14, 2024 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at John M. Taylor Funeral Home, 147 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 9 Am at St. Mary's Catholic Church 109 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401.