Diane C. Gaskill

1935-2019

Diane Chachere Gaskill, 83, went to be with the Lord in Heaven on March 17. 2019. She was born in New Orleans on 24 October 1935 to Marvin E. Chachere and Diana Marie Chachere (Lafleur) and grew up in Baton Rouge. As a teenager, she and her sister Bobbie Chachere taught ballet and dance while Diane attended Louisiana State University. In October 1954, at an LSU football game dance she met Ensign Richard (Dick) Gaskill, a recent US Naval Academy graduate, who was beginning basic flight training at Whiting Field, Florida. After meeting Richard, Diane told her father that she had met the man she was going to marry. Diane and Dick were married on June 11, 1955. They honeymooned in the Carolinas and then moved to Corpus Christi where Richard was stationed for advanced flight training.

Diane served as a loving Navy wife throughout Dick’s career as an attack pilot serving in squadrons on both coasts and as Commanding Officer of the USS NIMITZ. For many years Diane was one of the leaders of Navy Officer and Enlisted wives groups including during the Vietnam War period.

After Rear Admiral Gaskill retired from the Navy in 1981, the Gaskill’s moved to Pensacola where they were close to their many Navy friends. Diane and Dick helped found Perdido Bay United Methodist Church and for many years Diane taught a very popular Sunday school and Bible class. She and Dick were also very active in Pensacola First United Methodist Church and Gulf Breeze United Methodist Church.

Diane earned a degree from LSU and was a very knowledgeable grade school teacher and a talented artist who drew and painted beautiful scenes with ease, and created wonderful ceramic figurines. Diane traveled the world with her husband and extensively visited every continent except the Antarctic.

Diane is survived by her husband of 64 years Richard; two sons David and Danny; daughter Debra; granddaughters Kori and Mary, grandson Richard; Great Granddaughter Lilliauna; Sisters Cherie Long, Bobbie Edwards and Mary Frances Chachere; Dick’s sister Betty Brown and many members of her family.

A visitation will be held at Oak Lawn Funeral Home, 619 N. New Warrington Rd., on March 20 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. A memorial service will be held at Perdido Bay United Methodist Church at 11:00 am on March 21.

Diane will be buried in Dayton, Texas on March 23, at 1:00 pm.

The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Dayton with a service to begin at 1:00 p.m. at the church with Rev. George Ohmstede officiating. Burial will follow at Magnolia Park Cemetery in Dayton.

Arrangements are under the direction of Oak Lawn Funeral Home, 619 N. New Warrington Rd., Pensacola, Florida and Pace-Stancil Funeral Home 1304 N. Cleveland Dayton, Texas 77535, 936-258-5300, www.pacestancil.com.