Obituary of Diann Petersen

Diann Lynn (Mohr) Petersen, of Wimauma, FL and previously Elmhurst, IL passed away on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 freeing her of the shackles of Alzheimer’s Disease that she suffered from for the last 10 years.

Diann was originally from Victor, Iowa and there was no one prouder to be an Iowan than Diann.  She embodied the very nature of people from Iowa in hard work, compassion, and a no-whiner mentality.

Diann was an avid experimenter and, in her life, felt that no opportunity should be passed by and nothing could not be done.  In her youth she was a good athlete and musician, a beauty queen, an actor, and artist.  Her interests were varied and eclectic to include painting, photography, writing, and sewing.  But the one thing she never quite mastered was the kitchen and was known as “microwave mamma” by her sons in her early life.

Diann loved Christmas – boy did she love Christmas.  This led to her starting a collection of Santa Claus’s that she had throughout the house and in one special cabinet.  Santa took all shapes and sizes and were always a welcome reminder that Christmas was just around the corner.

Later in life she had the chance to travel the world with her husband Ken and she always had a sense of wonder and adventure everywhere she went including the time she almost wound up in jail in London for taking a picture of a high security building.  Law enforcement finally figured out that the 60-year-old grandmother would probably not harm anything.

She brought joy to people’s lives in so many ways and it was also important to her to give back as she served as a CASA volunteer advocating for the betterment of children in the foster care system.

Diann is survived by her husband, Ken Honsberger along with her son Cullen of Aurora, IL and his wife Kim along with grandchildren Mackenzie and Emmerson; her son Cameron of Louisville, KY and his wife Carrie and grandchildren Chase and Cailyn.  She is also survived by her sisters Vicki of Victor, IA, Pat of Denver, CO and her brother Dann from Arizona, a niece and nephews, cousins, grand nieces and nephews, and friends, some going back as far as her high school days at HLV High School

A private service will be held for the family in Sun City Center, Florida and according to Diann’s wishes her ashes will be spread over places important to her in her life.

The family would also like to thank the team at Inspired Living in Sun City Center, FL for the outstanding care and comfort they provided to Diann and the support to Ken in the last three years of her life.  We could not have done it without them.

Contributions in Diann’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.