Diane Dorothy Antonelli

Diane Dorothy Antonelli, 88, a long-time resident of Rathdrum, Idaho passed away on Jan. 23, 2022 in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. Diane was born in 1933 in Vallejo, California to Juanita Nell Harris and Raymond Baker. Her stepfather, Lucius Martin came into her life as a young girl and she viewed him as her father. The family moved to Santa Cruz, California when she was a teenager. She was promoted a grade after the move, making her one of the youngest members of her class to graduate at Santa Cruz High School in 1951. Sadly, her brother, Don, died of epilepsy at the age of 16 shortly before their move. Diane married Stanley Antonelli on September 21, 1952. Diane felt blessed to add his young daughter, Dawn to their family. She felt it was meant to be as she had always planned to name her first child after her older brother. By the time Diane was 23 she and Stan had 4 children to raise. Diane operated an in-home daycare for many years, where she was affectionately called “Aunt Diane”. Her organizational skills were legendary and she always managed to carve some time out to sew and craft around naptimes. She also was a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader for many years. The family moved to Rathdrum, Idaho in 1970 where Diane joined many groups including, The 20th Century Reading Circle, TOPS Club, and the Rathdrum Historical Society. She also eagerly awaited the monthly Reader’s Digest so she could take the Word Power Quiz and she usually scored in the Expert Range. In 1973, Diane was able to fulfill a lifelong dream, when she enrolled in North Idaho College in a business program. After college, she worked for Panhandle Distributors for several years. In 1982, Diane and Stan were fortunate enough to retire early. They spent many days camping, and travelling to visit their children. Diane was an avid gardener and was still mowing her lawn with a push mower at 85. She always had a bouquet of fresh picked flowers on her table, and canned, froze, or pickled the garden’s bounty for many years. She also loved to sew and quilt. She made many beautiful quilts over the years, and she continued to quilt with help despite her challenges from Alzheimer’s disease. Each grandchild has more than one quilt made by Grandma Diane. The most important thing to Diane was family. She hosted a Family Zag Night for each Gonzaga basketball game where her living room would be crammed with children, grandchildren and even friends. She often cooked delicious meals and snacks for those evenings. Diane is survived by her children, Dawn Antonelli of Spokane, WA, Derek (Connie) Antonelli of Rathdrum, Deren (Andy) Eastman of Spirit Lake, and Dana (Darryl) Stiegemeier of Rathdrum. She is survived by 10 grandchildren including Kraig McGlathery (Portland) Traci McGlathery (Spokane) Devin Antonelli (Albuquerque) Megan Antonelli (Rathdrum), Walt Eastman (Athol) Jon Beckwith (Post Falls) Katy Beckwith (Rathdrum) Dylan Stiegemeier (Umea, Sweden) Austin Stiegemeier (Gettysburg, PA) and Kayla Maloney (Coeur d Alene). She has 10 great grandchildren including: Nikolas and Keegan McGlathery, Lily and Logan Antonelli, Kelso Beckwith, Kayden, Riley and Alexis Eastman, Ashton Beckwith, Louisa and Elenore Stiegemeier, and Elsie Maloney. Her brother, Calvin Martin of Medford, OR also survives her. She had numerous nieces and nephews, but was especially fond of nephew Bill (Barb) Antonelli, and her lifelong friend, Donna Olivieri. Her spouse of 42 years, Stanley Antonelli, her parents, Juanita and Lucius Martin, her brother Don Baker and grandson Gabe Eastman preceded her in death. The family would like to thank her caregivers at Renaissance Center, especially Susie for her kind and compassionate care of Diane. A Celebration of Life Picnic will be held on May 31st in Rathdrum City Park at 1:00 PM. More details will follow. Donations in Diane’s name can be made to The Alzheimer’s Association or to a charity of your choice.