Diane L. Koenig

The Rev. Diane L. Koenig, 85, of Crystal Lake, IL, passed away on August 14, 2025, in Burlington, Wisconsin. Born in Michigan City, Indiana, on February 10, 1940, to Ann and Lewis Bartholomew, Diane was cherished as a musician, piano teacher, and accompanist. She was a graduate of the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and taught there for five years after graduating. Diane devoted nearly 50 years to enriching the lives of countless individuals and will be remembered for her warmth, talent, and generosity.

She was the first president of the Fox Hills Music Teachers Association, performed for 10 years with her friend, Marilyn Scherer, as part of the “DiMar Duo”, and for many years with her friend, Marguerite Faulds, as a piano 4-hand team giving fundraising performances for many different causes. She accompanied numerous area musicians from the vocal, choral, instrumental, and dance fields for many years, including voice students of the late Marie Ann Vos and violin students of Lisa Chodorowski.

Diane was also a deacon at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Crystal Lake, having graduated from the Deacon Formation Program of the Diocese of Chicago, and was ordained in 1998. She was very devoted to the church and to her deacon responsibilities, which she considered a privilege and joy. She began two Youth Choirs at St. Mary’s as well as a Nursing Home Ministry and served as a mentor for a postulant in the Deacon Formation School.

Diane enjoyed cooking, reading, cross-stitching, and walking, and was seen frequently walking all over town. She particularly enjoyed her trips to England and Australia, holding many treasured memories from those trips. She was a proud and loving godmother to Raisa Pate, a role she took great delight in. They shared many delightful times of ice cream, dancing, and sleepovers!

She is survived by her husband, Peter Koenig.

A celebration of Diane’s life will be held at 10 a.m., on October 4, 2025, at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (210 McHenry Ave, Crystal Lake, IL 60014), with a reception to follow in the Church Hall.