Diana F. Holm's Obituary
Diana Ferrell Holm, 81, of Bridgeville, DE, passed away on Sunday, February 26, 2023, at home surrounded by her family. She was born Diana Rae (“Dinah”) Ferrell on August 21, 1941, in Waterloo, IA, the first child of William and Phyllis (Christy) Ferrell, and spent her early years in Weedsport, NY. At the age of 15, she moved with her family to Mount Prospect, IL. Diana graduated from Arlington Heights High School in 1959 and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1964. It was while at U of I that Diana met her husband of 59 years, Ralph W. Holm.
Following graduation and marriage to Ralph on February 22, 1964, Diana embarked on what was to become a 30-year journey as an Air Force wife, which is a role she embraced with great passion and pride. She was well known for opening her heart and home to others in need and for filling a room with her joyous personality, animated storytelling, and infectious laugh. Diana and Ralph raised three children and moved countless times in their lives together (France, England, Germany, Texas, South Carolina, Idaho, Alabama, Ohio, California, Virginia, Delaware). She held jobs outside of the home, both professional and volunteer, but her first passion was always to her family. She enjoyed books, movies, music, crafts, and games. In her later years, her greatest joy came from watching her four grandchildren grow.
Diana was preceded in death by her father, William, mother Phyllis, sister Virginia (Ferrell) Sanders, nephew Nicholas Rios, and brother-in-law, Russell Rudolph.
She is survived by her husband, Ralph W. Holm of Bridgeville, DE; her children: Ralph W. Holm, Jr. (Olga) of Georgetown, DE, Robert A. Holm of Miamisburg, OH, and Renee H. Paul (Alan) of Columbus, OH; her grandchildren: Declan Holm of Dayton, OH, Rayne Lythjohan of Cincinnati, OH, Maxwell and Duncan Holm of Georgetown, DE; her siblings: Beverly Simon of Madison, WI, Janet Bassett of Sarasota, FL, and James Ferrell of Sarasota, FL; her sister-in-law: Maggie Rudolph of Anchorage, AK; her dearest friend and cousin: Susan Rossi of Skaneateles, NY; and numerous other beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends.
A celebration of Diana’s life will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Hardesty Chapel, Bridgeville, DE, where friends may visit beginning at 10:00 AM.
All who cannot attend in person are invited to view the Mass via live-stream by visiting the following link: http://www.parsellfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/permalink/10923618/LTWebcast.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions in Diana’s memory to Fisher House Foundation https://connect.fisherhouse.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.event&eventID=1.
Please sign the virtual guestbook located on the tribute page.
FLORIST NOTE: PLEASE DELIVER ALL ARRANGEMENTS BY 3:00 PM ON THURSDAY, MARCH 30, 2023 TO OUR BRIDGEVILLE LOCATION.
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