Diane Kay Banks

Diane Kay Banks (Lund) 8/8/1947-12/3/2021

Diane Kay Banks of Tacoma, WA passed away at home with her sister by her side on December 3rd, 2021, after a valiant fight with cancer.

Diane was preceded in death by her father, Victor Lund and mother, June Lund (Peterson) and former husband, Steve Northrup.

She is survived by sister, Vickie Kirn (Karl), nephews Kim Kirn and Kelly Kirn, and niece, Karla Nelson; 7 great nieces and nephews; former husband, Clyde Banks and stepchildren Baron Banks and Brijette Wilkerson.

Diane was born in Glendale, CA and moved to Washington in 1961.  She graduated from Sumner High School in 1965.  She is especially remembered for vivacious cheerleading skills and Daffodil princess fame.  She later completed a course in Dental Assistant at Bates Vocational School in Tacoma and went on to live in the Tacoma area for her adult life.  She pursued a career as dental assistant and worked in oral surgery until retiring in 2017.  During this time, she enjoyed working on Ivan, the Gorilla and Winston, the Helping Hands Monkey as well as with the Rescue Mission.

Her dream of owning her own home was fulfilled in 1986 when she moved to North Tacoma and enjoyed her neighborhood for 38 years. She took pride in her lovely, unique gardens and relaxed in the sunshine of her backyard. She loved all animals but especially her talking parakeet, Pixie and her dog, Scooter ("baby"). 

Diane had many hobbies and activities including, but not limited to golf, tennis, paddling, skiing, hiking, biking, camping, snorkeling, walking, fishing, boating, paragliding, sky diving, yoga, crafting, painting, collecting rocks and sea glass, photography, cooking, writing poetry and dancing.  She was known as "Dancin' Diane".  She enjoyed singing in several different groups in the community over the years, and recently spent many hours attending accordion events with her longtime friend and travel companion, Lyle Schaefer, accordion player.  She can be seen on Facebook videos singing duets and reciting poetry.

Travelling adventures took her to many different parts of the world including throughout the US.  She visited China, Austria, Denmark, Cambodia, Bahamas, Mexico, Baja, South America, Costa Rica and Canada among others. Unfortunately, Covid-19 kept her from a trip to South Africa. 

Diane was an active member of University Place Presbyterian Church where she participated in study and support groups and volunteered in church projects. She gained much spiritual support from dear friends and valued them all.  Her faith was evident in her thoughtfulness for others.  She was a hospitable and generous friend to many.  She even participated in the Big Sister program to mentor Cori Lind for many years and received an award for Big Sister of the Year in 1991.

A bright light has gone out with Diane's passing.  She was always herself, saying, "I did it my way". Because of her we can all celebrate life in a bigger way.

Memorial service for Diane Banks will be held on Sunday, May 1, 2022, at 3pm.

It will be at University Place Presbyterian Church (UPPC) 8101 27th St. W, University Place (Tacoma, WA).  A cookie and coffee reception will follow at the church and her ashes will be scattered in the summer in Puget Sound.

Memorial gifts can be sent to her charities: Make-A-Wish Foundation, Cancer Research, and St. Jude's.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Diane Kay Banks, please visit our floral store.