Diana McKenna

1967 - 2025

DIANA (SIUDIKA) MCKENNA

May 7, 1967 - August 5, 2025

Diana (Siudika) McKenna passed away peacefully, surrounded by her children, on August 5, 2025, after a courageous two-year battle with a brain tumor.

Born May 7, 1967, in Kaunas, Lithuania, to Angele and Algis Siudika, Diana grew up under the Communist regime of the Soviet Union. Despite the hardships of that era, the Siudika family quietly nurtured their Catholic faith and remained a close-knit household. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, she witnessed Lithuania's historic independence in March 1990 and entered a new era of possibility.

She graduated from Kaunas University of Medicine in 1991 as a neonatologist. Her years in school brought her lasting friendships that continued throughout her life. Her chosen profession also placed her on the unexpected path to meet her future husband, John McKenna, and eventually led her to Bakersfield, California.

At the time, John was working for a Catholic radio station in Belgium, producing programs for countries emerging from Communist rule, including Lithuania. Through the station, he helped organize a cultural exchange that brought Lithuanian medical professionals to California to learn about Western medical practices. Diana was among them. Remarkably, she met John's family before she ever met him in person, having known him only through correspondence.

Following her return from that trip, Diana and John met in person. Their professional connection soon became personal, and after several years they married in Kaunas in May 1997. They began married life in Belgium, where their first child, Kristina, and second child, Martin, were born. Soon after, new opportunities led them to settle in Bakersfield near Johns family, where they welcomed their third child, Monika.

Although Diana aspired to return to neonatology, the requirements for re-licensure in the United States would have meant essentially repeating medical school. She chose instead to devote herself fully to raising her children. She instilled in them fluency in Lithuanian and a love for the traditions of her homeland, while also embracing local Catholic practices. For fourteen years, she and John made weekly trips on Saturdays to St. Casimir's Lithuanian School in Los Angeles, to further instill their children's Lithuanian roots and culture. While her children attended St. Francis Catholic School, Diana also contributed as a math aide.

When her children reached high school, Diana reconnected with her calling in medicine and infant care. She earned certification as a Board-Certified Lactation Consultant and went on to serve mothers and newborns at Kern Medical Center. She also generously volunteered her time at Baby Café, a local organization dedicated to supporting new parents.

Over her twenty-six years in Bakersfield, Diana became a naturalized citizen, raised her family, and touched countless lives with her kindness, wisdom, and friendship. She will be remembered as a devoted mother, a steadfast friend, and a woman of faith whose love and guidance enriched all who knew her.

Diana is survived by her three children, Kristina, Martin and Monika; her brother Raimondas Siudika (Egle) and nephews (Algirdas and Vytenis) in Lithuania; brother-in-law Thomas McKenna (Bridgette, Conor), brother-in-law Edward McKenna, sister-in-law Maureen Beccari (Antonio, Alexander, Francesca, Antonio, Jr.), and brother-in-law Michael McKenna. She was preceded in death by her husband John, her parents Angele and Algis Siudika, and in-laws Frank and Linda McKenna.

Her children would like to extend their gratitude to Rachel Gutierrez and her dedicated team of caretakers for their devoted support in her care over the past two years. A special thank you is also given to Hoffmann Hospice for the compassionate care and comfort they provided to Diana in her final days.

A rosary will be held at St. Francis Church on Friday, August 22, 2025, at 1:30 P.M. followed by the funeral mass at 2:00 P.M. Interment to follow immediately afterward at Greenlawn Southwest Memorial Park, 2739 Panama Lane.

www.bakersfield.com/obits