Diane L. Harrison

Diane Leigh (Warnke) Harrison, beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother and great grandmother passed away Saturday, May 29, 2021 at the age of 76. She was born August 23, 1944 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was the first of three children born to Harry F. and Dorothy (Simpson) Warnke. Being the elder sister to her two brothers provided her early practice for her large family that was to come. She was very protective of her two younger brothers, David and Paul Warnke. Paul describes her as cheerful, encouraging and a great listener.

In 1950, Diane’s family moved and settled in Corpus Christi,Texas. Diane graduated from Miller High School in Corpus Christi, TX. She was on the Miller Tennis Team and lettered her sophomore year. She participated in the Miller Choir. She loved horseback riding and her horse Bingo. Her senior year she was accepted to Southwestern University in Georgetown Texas, but she met Daniel F. Harrison, the love of her life, and had to decide between college or love. She chose the love of her life. In fact she was so in love she eloped and got married in Mexico on March 10th,1962. They had an official ceremony with family in August that same year.

After graduation, Diane and Dan moved to San Antonio,Texas. Diane worked at USAA, while Dan attended Trinity University on a football scholarship to work on a college degree. In 1963, she and Dan became the proud parents of Deborah Harrison. After Dan’s graduation from Trinity University, Diane happily stayed home to raise their growing family and support Dan in his career as a contractor. The family continued to grow with the additions of Donna, Stephen and Julie Harrison.

Diane always wanted to be a mother and homemaker. Her creativity was shown by the outfits sewn for her daughters and giving the most fabulous birthday parties. She never failed to sit down and play with her children. She loved the natural world and took her children to National Parks, helped them care for the many pets she allowed them to have, and shared her love for plants and nature with them. Gardening and her plants gave her peace. Diane also had an incredible sense of humor. One might hear her infectious laughter as she watched her favorite episodes of I Love Lucy. She continued sharing her love with her grandchildren, providing care for her grandson Matthew while his parents worked and caring for her grandchildren Zachary and Heather while their sister Amber waited for a bone marrow transplant when she was sick with cancer. She also took in many of her grandchildren as teenagers as they faced difficulties in these years to help them get back on track.

In Diane’s final years she faced the challenge of metastatic breast cancer. She battled for over 20 years and while it may have looked like she presented a brave face for everyone, she was simply walking out her faith. Mom praised God daily regardless of her struggles and shared her salvation when she had the opportunity. She loved ministering to the homeless on the streets of San Antonio, volunteering to help and work weekly with unwed mothers through her church. She was frequently teaching Sunday School or vacation bible school and even helped teach a youth group with Dan for a few years. She treasured her family dearly and really enjoyed their visits. She leaves behind an incredible faith filled family that has been touched by her life. They will miss her sweet smile, fervent prayers, words of wisdom, and mother’s love she poured out on everyone.

Diane was preceded in death by her parents Harry and Dorothy Warnke, her brother David Warnke, and her granddaughter Amber Baggett. She is survived by her husband, Daniel F. Harrison, brother Paul Warnke of Clearlake Texas, four children Debbie Baggett and husband Travis of McQueeneyTexas, Donna Slaughter and husband Jim of Georgetown Texas, Stephen Harrison and wife Renee of Katy Texas, and Julie Harrison of San Antonio Texas; her ten grandchildren Zach Baggett, Heather (Baggett) Leehang and husband Myles, Tyler Baggett and wife Becky, Kyle Baggett and wife Jennal, David Slaughter and wife Alexandra, Lyndsay (Slaughter) Pistella and husband Matt, Alyssa Harrison, Courtney (Harrison) Crawford and husband Austin, Matthew Harrison and wife Abby and Mason Harrison; her 17 great-grandchildren Shelby, James, Arya, Kora, Myles Jr., Ellie, Israel, Azariah, Adaiah, Hazel, Zoe, Scarlett, Karlee, Karson, Karter, Addison, and Jordan.

The Family would like to extend a warm thank you to Dr. Lisa Fichtel of START Center for Cancer Care, and Dr. Jean H. Liu at Cardiology Clinic of Stone Oak for their kind and compassionate care. A private,family service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Diane’s favorite charities;

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital

501 St. Jude Place • Memphis, TN 38105

Donate by Phone: (800) 805-5856

https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

28 West 44th Street, Suite 609, New York, NY 10036

1-866-346-3228

https://www.bcrf.org/