Diane Peters

1951 - 2020

Diane Peters
September 17, 1951 - April 19, 2020
Longtime Rowayton resident Diane (Gould) Peters, a glamorous interior designer, passed away peacefully in her home on Sunday, April 19, 2020, with her children and husband at her side. She was 68 years old. Diane Gould was born on September 17, 1951, in Denver, CO. The family later moved to Forest Hills, NY. Her father, James Pearson Gould, was a civil engineer, and her mother, Penelope Mitchell, an abstract painter. Diane graduated from Greenwich High School in 1969 where she was a varsity gymnast and state champion, and from McGill University in Montreal in 1973 with a BFA degree in English Literature. Possessed with a gift for literary insight and analysis, she remained an insatiable reader throughout her life. While working in New York at Newsweek Magazine as a cover page photo editor, she met her soon-to-be husband, Jurgen Peters, a banker. Married in 1978, the couple forged an extremely close and loving partnership that spanned more than 40 years and culminated in the joy of having their two children, Kara and Sebastian. Diane later established her interior design business. To her, the pleasure she found in the decoration of homes was an extension of the profound love she felt for her family and home life. Graced with exceptional beauty and an infectious smile, Diane illuminated whatever environment she entered, and her penchant for the romantic infused both her elegant style of dress and immaculate interior design creations. Living in or close to cultural centers London and New York over the years had allowed Diane to pursue an enduring love for the arts in general and–having been a gifted ballet dancer at an early age–a lifelong passion for the ballet. Diane will be most fondly remembered for the ease with which she made lasting friendships, for the generous spirit she extended especially to the less fortunate, and for the sublime grace and fortitude with which she confronted her unexpected illness. In addition to her husband and children, Diane is survived by her mother Penelope of Old Greenwich, brother James Edward Gould of Greenwich, granddaughters Lia and Cora Peters, and nieces Pinkney and Thea Gould of New York, all of whom she adored, along with her cherished Himalayan cats Sylvie and Thisbe. A celebration of Diane's joyful life will take place as soon as all restrictions on travel and group gatherings have been lifted.