Diana Jean Leedom Fawcett

Diana Jean Leedom Fawcett was born on January 5, 1943 in Ottumwa, Iowa to Ethel Service and Dwayne Leedom. Diana passed away at her home in Burbank, CA on September 7, 2018 at the age of 75 years young.Diana was the proud big sister to Sherry Leedom Badtram. Diana's favorite days as a child (and grown up) were spent laughing, talking and spending time with her best friend and baby sister. In her early teens, Diana and her mom moved west to Southern California where Diana met the love of her life Barry Fawcett. Their romance blossomed quickly thanks to shared life goals and a love of the waltz and jitterbug. The two were married January 10, 1959. Diana and Barry would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on January 10, 2019. Once married, Barry and Diana moved to Simi Valley where they welcomed their first daughter, Natalie Lynn. They then relocated to Canoga Park where they welcomed their second daughter Dana Lynn. The family settled in Burbank in 1977, making their home in the equestrian district just steps from the Burbank Equestrian Center and Pickwick Ice rink.Diana was a licensed cosmetologist who cut hair for family and friends in Los Angeles for decades. She was also a life-long learner who spent time at Pierce College as part of her quest to always better herself. When Barry and Diana were not working, they valued family time and enjoyed boating and water skiing on the Colorado River and Lake Havasu. When Diana and her girls were not on the water, they loved being outdoors horseback riding and enjoying Burbank's many hills and trails. Diana embraced animals of all kinds throughout her life, even allowing her girls to take in some unusual pets such as frogs, ducks, horses, hamsters and tomato worms. Her home was never without a fur baby, with her favorite species being cats. She had 15 -20 pet cats throughout her lifetime...but never more than seven at one time. One of her proudest animal moments was when she held a new baby gorilla while she was serving as a docent at the Los Angeles Zoo. Family and friends admired Diana's ability to embrace new things; her determined spirit; and her desire be better today than she was yesterday. She always put her family first, loved deeply, showed kindness to everyone, valued the truth, and celebrated commitment. Diana never met a person she didn't likeor if she did, she never let you know. Her motto was "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Always an over-achiever, Diana enjoyed horseback riding into her early 60s. She took up ice skating in her late 30s and early 40s, skating with a group called The Fabulous Forties, which practiced at Pickwick. In her mid-60s, Diana and Barry moved from the Equestrian District to downtown Burbank where she began studying martial arts at Inspire Martial Arts & Fitness. Diana was a devoted student who earned her honorary black belt in the summer of 2018. Diana is deeply missed by all who knew her, including her husband Barry Fawcett; sister Sherry Badtram; daughters Natalie Coleman and Dana Fawcett; grandchildren Jessica Jackson, Devri Garcia, Shawn Coleman, Kelly Coleman and Justin Garcia; great grandchildren James Freude and Taylor Jackson; her Inspire Martial Arts & Fitness family; and her feline fur baby Clara.A memorial service for Diana will be held at Inspire Martial Arts & Fitness on San Fernando Road in Burbank, CA on Sunday, September 30 at 11:00 am.