Diane E. Anaya

Diane Elaine Sugar-Anaya died on February 17th, 2026 in Las Cruces, New Mexico due to health complications from Addison’s Disease. She was born on January 9th, 1974 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Paul Ernest Sugar and Nancy Jane Jensen. She attended Annunciation Catholic School until moving into the East Mountains where she and her family lived in Manzano Springs and then Moriarty. She attended Moriarty Middle School and High School where she was a talented student, singer, cheerleader, and track athlete. After graduating High School in 1992, she attended the University of New Mexico on a track and field scholarship, where she graduated with a Bachelors in Communication and Journalism, and ran the 400m dash for the Lobos.

On June 11th, 1994, she married Michael Eugene Anaya, also from Moriarty, and soon after started a family. She gave birth to her son, Austin, on January 7th, 1996, and she and Michael later adopted three children - Destiny, Audrey, and Daniel (Keno). Diane and Michael raised their four children in Moriarty.

Diane led a multi-faceted professional career in her 20’s and 30’s as she excelled in her roles at Wells Fargo, and played key roles in the many family businesses in Moriarty - most notably as Chief Operating Officer for both the video rental store, Flicks, and the adjoined Radio Shack, both of which she owned and managed with Michael. As her kids moved into middle and high school, Diane returned to school and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Grand Canyon University.

Diane started her nursing career in 2011 as an emergency room nurse at Presbyterian in Albuquerque and quickly moved up the ranks, earning a reputation for her level-headedness, hard work, and compassion for her patients. She later finished the training to become an emergency flight nurse and began working for TriState CareFlight in 2015. After her kids moved to college, the military, and other endeavors, she moved to El Paso where she was a nurse manager at the University Medical Center of El Paso. In 2017 she moved to Las Cruces where she became the Director of Nursing for a Home Healthcare company, and later a case management nurse at Aetna.

Outside of work, Diane spent her time with family and friends, spending time outside, going to church, and volunteering. She loved going to the lake with her family and friends, and was often at Elephant Butte. She would donate her time to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and attended christian churches and cherished her connection with Christ. She also loved cycling, going to the gym, and working on various artistic projects.

Diane was preceded in death by her father, Paul Sugar. And she leaves behind her kids, Austin Anaya, Destiny Anaya, Audrey Anaya, and Daniel Anaya; her mother, Nancy Sugar; her siblings, Paul Sugar, Kathy Fox, and Linda Sugar; three granddaughters, Amelia Anaya, Maya Anaya, and Scarlett Anaya; and dozens of nieces and nephews.