Diana Smith

SMITH (Sands), Diana "Mema" Patricia

Diana Patricia Smith (Sands) was born August 28, 1942 to George and Arvilla Sands. The oldest of six children, Diana spent her early years in Roslyn, NY until her family moved to Lakeview, New York in 1955. In 1960, she graduated from Malvern High School and soon thereafter married her high-school sweetheart, Marvin Lawrence Smith. The young couple had two sons, and were married until 1973.

Diana received her Master's in Education from Cambridge College (Cambridge, MA) and went on to pursue her passion for helping and caring for others, which led her to various positions of increasing responsibility within the healthcare industry. Most recently, she was a Provider Relations Representative for the Georgia Department of Community Health.

Diana's bold and independent spirit inspired her to live in several cities throughout the United States, including Greater Boston, Massachusetts; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and Atlanta, GA.

Diana's sense of adventure and willingness to live her life to the fullest inspired her to become an avid traveler with an infectious desire to enrich her existence by seeking new experiences, meeting new people and enjoying new cultures. Never one to let her gender, race, age or society's myopic views dictate what she could or could not do, Diana did what she wanted, how she wanted so long as she did not mistreat or offend anyone along the way.

Diana leaves to cherish her magnificent and powerful memory: sons, Darin Paul Smith (Jaye), of Hyde Park, MA, and Jason Malik Smith (Lonya), of Bethesda, MD; granddaughters, Khyle Nicole Smith, Quinn Sanae Smith and Regan Oliva Smith (lovingly referred to by Diana as her "Ladybugs"); brothers, George Sands, Jr., Rev. David Sands, Sr., Richard Sands, and Gary Sands; sister, Linda Cooper; Godson, Jordan Azaan Sahaveda Thompson; and a host of adored extended family members and dear friends.