Diane Querry

Mary Diane (Ghent) Querry was born on May 15, 1944, in Brooklyn, NY, to John and Marianne (McMahon) Ghent. She passed away peacefully in the presence of family on May 29, 2024. She had just celebrated her 52^nd 29^th birthday.  Diane grew up in Kansas City, MO, attended grades 1-6 (passed over 7) & 8 at Visitation School and grades 9-11 at Saint Teresa Academy.  She loved astronomy from a young age, often getting dropped off by her grandmother (Nana) to search for books at the UMKC Linda Hall Library. She painted nature subjects beginning when she was eight years old; winning a Hallmark Scholastic Art Award when in High School. After her family moved to Florida, she graduated from Seacrest High School in Delray Beach in 1961.   She earned an AB degree in Dental Hygiene from Palm Beach Community College in 1964. While working as a dental hygienist, Diane earned a BS degree in Physics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.  She married her husband of nearly 50 years, Marvin R. Querry, in 1974.  Diane was awarded a National Science Foundation Traineeship and earned a MS degree in Physics in 1975 at the University of Kansas doing research on the Magnetosphere of Jupiter.  She went on to teach Physics and Astronomy at Longview Community College, then furthered her career at Black & Veatch Consulting Engineers, Kansas City. Diane worked as a Physicist on Advanced Energy Technologies concerning design and construction of the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratory.  Then Diane worked as Physicist/Engineering Supervisor at Allied-Signal Aerospace, Kansas City.  She was the stepmom to Marvin's three daughters: Paula, Karla and Marcia. She provided the example in life to be a caring, strong, intelligent, inspiring woman never afraid to try new things and follow your dreams. She taught the girls to snorkel and shared her love of the ocean. She taught the girls how to water ski and got in the water to help them get their skis on and cheered them on from the boat.  Diane was an active member of Broadway United Methodist Church, where she loved singing in the choir and created lifelong friendships, and sequentially Hume and Rich Hill United Methodist Churches.  Diane was a loving daughter and sister throughout her life. When her parents moved back to Kansas City, Diane navigated their care as they too suffered from Alzheimer's and dementia.   Diane’s consuming lifelong interests were sciences and art. At age 49, Diane with an art publishing and licensing contract in-hand, opted for a Voluntary Reduction in Force at Allied-Signal and became a full-time painter. She studied Fine Art/Illustration at the Kansas City Art Institute and had a prolific career lasting twenty years before onset of Alzheimer’s Disease.  She painted domestic and wild animals, birds, flowers, vegetation, but big cats and other African animals were favorites.  Having painted throughout her adult life, Diane began showing and selling her paintings, commissioned works, pen-and-ink animal portraits and prints at Juried Art Shows.   She loved spending time in Florida when she was young and after Marvin retired from UMKC where she loved going to Sande’s Restaurant and the Boynton Inlet.  As of Winter 1997-98, Marvin & Diane had purchased 400 acres of contiguous unimproved farmland in NW Vernon County, MO.  During weekends of that winter, while sitting in the heated cab of a red (her favorite color) 1992 F350 diesel pickup truck, Diane did several landscape paintings of the farm that hang in their home today.  Diane had an adventurous fearless spirit. She would ride any ride at Worlds of Fun or Disney World and loved to go deep sea fishing. Whether building her own telescope or searching for four leaf clovers which she could spot so easily as luck would have it, Diane’s life was full of curious brilliance. She enjoyed nature, flowers, the stars and sharing that with her family, making her famous spaghetti, homemade chocolate ice cream on the 4^th of July, her own ketchup and barbecue sauce from the garden tomatoes and her famous chocolate cake with marshmallow icing from scratch. Diane loved animals, especially her pets The Kitty, Tiger, the seasonal farm cat, and her poodle Mimi most of all. She was a gifted seamstress who could make anything from dresses to curtains, plus upholster furniture. She even made a Wonder Woman costume one Halloween for Marcia. There wasn’t anything she wasn’t able to learn and research and loved to help others with her gifts, hobbies and talents.   Diane was predeceased by her parents; son-in-law John Vinyard; and sister-in-law Sandra Querry.  Diane is survived by her husband, Marvin; three stepdaughters: Paula (Todd) George, Karla (Darek) Lester, Marcia Vinyard; eight grandchildren; five great-grandchildren.  She is also survived by her brother-in-law Keith Querry; sister Jayne Ghent; brother Gerald Ghent; nieces and nephews: Stephanie (Chris) Gill, Christopher (Tracie) McCray, Jennifer (Michael) Martin, Jerry (Sara) Ghent along with great nieces and nephews and cousins.

Visitation followed by funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 22^nd 10:00am at Rich Hill United Methodist Church; 221 East Park Street; Rich Hill, MO  64779. A luncheon will be held to celebrate Diane’s life following the service.

The family is grateful for the loving care Diane received at Barone Alzheimer’s Care Center, Credo Memory Care Center and from Mount Carmel Hospice. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials and donations to Mount Carmel Hospice; 1624 South National Avenue; Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences online at Heuser Funeral Home (heuserfunerals.com).