Mom was a stickler for knowing and recording family history so she would be really upset with me if I didn’t include all of the following details. Feel free to skim, but I have to make sure that reporters for This American Life or a future great-grandchild that’s into genealogy gets as much detail as reasonable.
Dianna was born September 26, 1954 in the hallway of Winkler County Memorial Hospital in Kermit, Texas to Betty Sides Crow Wollard and Jack Lee Coy. Although Betty and Jack lived in Odessa, they had to drive the 30 miles to Kermit because all those dang Baby Boomers were crowding up the hospitals. Who could have predicted that her future children would have to type the name of a small, dusty west Texas town that shares its name with a famous frog thousands of times just to prove their identity.
Dianna was the third of four children. She was preceded in death by second brother, Jackie Lee Coy, and younger brother, Marcus Gene Coy. Oldest brother John Edward Coy survives. Mom was so proud of her brothers. The whole lot of them were musically gifted and artistically creative. The back bedroom at Memaw’s (Betty) house was always a refuge for music, laughter, and crazy stories.
Dianna was raised and resided mostly in Springfield, Missouri. Some of her fondest memories were of attending movies with her scandalous Aunt Jean at the Fox Theatre on the square. That led her to be a veritable connoisseur of movies, especially horror, and able to drop a relevant movie quote into any conversation. Dianna was very active in the Jewish community in Springfield, was a champion for important causes and those who needed help, and served on every PTA position at Sunshine Elementary School. Dianna was the third generation of her family to attend the beloved 190-year-old school and her children were the fourth.
Dianna married Patrick Allen Long (they are now divorced and he survives) in 1970 and they had two children. Tina Michelle Long Windmoeller, born 1970 and Patrick Christian Long, born 1971. Known as Shell and Cree growing up, not a day goes by that one of them doesn’t have to clarify their legal names to someone.
Dianna graduated from Missouri State University in 1976 with a degree in Sociology. Dianna and Pat were both crafty people and owned a dollhouse and miniature business that they ran mostly out of Silver Dollar City, and more specifically, from the garage of the family home. Dianna, Pat, Shell, and Cree always looked forward to Christmas Day because that meant all the holiday orders were complete and the late nights of hand-shingling cedar shakes onto dollhouses was over for a while. Dianna continued to create miniatures and paint names on tiny pumpkins for the rest of her life.
Dianna graduated from University of Missouri Law School in 1991 and had an active law career that started in public service, working as a public defender, prosecutor, and municipal judge for many Missouri counties. She and Pat briefly moved to Rockaway Beach, Missouri while she practiced in Taney County before she went into private practice in Columbia, Missouri.
Her first grandchild, Tate Michael Windmoeller, was born in 1997 followed by Cora Meredith Windmoeller in 2000. Dianna and Pat loved their grandchildren dearly and moved to Columbia to be closer to them. Tate and Cora enjoyed a childhood with rich memories of spending time with Grammy and Gramps. Tate is very tall and liked to pat his Grammy on the top of the head to remind her how short she was. Cora has Grammy noted in her phone as “future me”
While in Columbia, Dianna was active in the theater and vocal music scene. She performed in many local shows and made countless friends who miss her dearly already. The outpouring of support from those friends has been characteristically enthusiastic so surely her Celebration of Life party will be a rollicking good time. Dianna was excellent at keeping life-long friends so there are many people reading this who remember her driving around Springfield in Herb, her prized, yellow 1971 Volkswagen bug, still refer to her daughter as Shell, and remember the time Cree burned the garage to the ground.
Dianna had a gift for rescuing sweet, gentle dogs that would become her constant and faithful sidekicks. Dianna will be so happy to meet Sugar, Chuck, Chili, and Katy at the Rainbow Bridge and then welcome darling Mia when the time comes.
Dianna leaves behind both of her children, her son-in-law Steve Windmoeller, two grandchildren, former husband Pat, oldest brother John, lots of cousins, and many nieces and nephews who will remember her for helping them hide food so they could leave Memaw’s strict sunday dinner table and the silly gifts she always gave that were secretly hiding cold, hard cash.
Finally, Dianna was very proud that she got to help vote The Cheeto (her phrase) out of office, so let’s make 2021 a good one.
“Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Grow your wings on the way down.” —Ray Bradbury. (quote on her desk)
In this time of COVID, there will be no in-person gathering. A celebration of her life will take place through a virtual event that can be found here https://www.facebook.com/events/212628063650481 and, when we can all come together again, a party so loud and raucous, her lawyer friends will have to help us deal with the “disturbing the peace” tickets.
Dianna was a strong supporter of The Central Missouri Humane Society. Other memorial suggestions include ordering a Flex Pass at Talking Horse Productions or the Passport to Columbia Entertainment Company so you can take in a future show. You could also support a local restaurant by ordering some yummy takeout food that you can enjoy as you remember good times with Dianna. She’ll want you to get dessert too.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18