Diane Zemke Hawksford, age 84 , of River Falls, WI, passed away on July 15, 2023, at United Hospital in St. Paul, MN, following a hard-fought battle with breast cancer. Diane was born on September 27, 1938, in Cumberland, Wisconsin, to Gilbert and Selma (Nordin) Zemke.

Diane attended grade school in Almena and Cumberland and graduated from New Richmond High School. She was raised in a household that took great pride in their ancestry as her parents and grandparents frequently spoke German. At a young age, she developed the love of music; playing the piano and accordion by the age of ten. Diane used her musical gifts as she sang and played piano in her church while growing up. Her childhood was deeply impacted when her younger brother Ron was diagnosed with polio as a toddler. He was sent to Sister Kenny in Minneapolis and did not return home until he was 4 years old .

Diane enjoyed her studies and always knew she wanted to become a nurse. After high school, she attended nursing school at Fairview Hospital. After graduating, she worked in healthcare as a scrub nurse at Westside Hospital in Milwaukee, as a clinic nurse for Dr. Davis in New Richmond, as a floor nurse at Hudson and River Falls Hospitals, as an obstetrics and tuberculosis ward nurse in Livermore, California, as well as a clinic nurse in New Brunswick, New Jersey. However, her most rewarding position was as a delivery room nurse at Madison General Hospital.

Diane was united in marriage to John Hawksford on April 19, 1958, at the ALC Lutheran Church in New Richmond. They welcomed three children into their lives; sons Troy and Eric and daughter Dana. This union would later dissolve. The family lived in Madison until 1971, when they then moved to Anoka, Minnesota, where all three kids graduated from Anoka High School. Diane’s drive to further her education led her to complete her undergraduate degree at St Francis College and her masters at University of St Thomas in Education. Once the children were grown, she began teaching respiratory therapy at Anoka Technical College.

She had a strong faith and was an active member in the Lutheran Youth Organization through high school and often sang at weddings and funerals in the community. Diane also taught summer bible school at Zion Lutheran Church while she lived in Anoka. She passed her steadfast faith onto her children. She loved the tradition of taking her children on several Christmases to a Swedish church service on Christmas Eve even though they did not understand a word that was spoken.

Diane’s passion was music as she loved to play the piano and sing. She had a beautiful voice, wrote her own music, and recorded several CD’s later in her life. She was an outstanding accordion player who loved getting into a good polka. Diane was super smooth on her feet on the dance floor; even teaching her kids how to shake a leg. She was also a writer and an avid reader who often preferred to read textbooks, but also loved a good Danielle Steele novel as well. She was smart and quick witted and spent a lot of time thinking and trying to figure things out. She loved to cook for her family and made the best apple pies. Diane was her children’s biggest cheerleader for all their sports, activities, and life in general. She would always have a plate of dinner ready if the kids got home late and made it a priority to visit and see how their day had gone. Finally, she enjoyed the outdoors and even tried her hand at deer hunting. Diane was very proud of shooting a great 8-point buck off the Hawksford farm.

Diane will remain in the hearts of her children Troy (Susan) Hawksford, Eric (Laurie) Hawksford, and Dana (David) Alston; eleven grandchildren Ben (April) Hawksford, Elizabeth (Derek) Richard, Alexandra (Craig) Pearcy, Catherine (Jake) Prather, Sean (Jessica) Hawksford, Drew Hawksford, Jack Hawksford, Chloe Hawksford, Olivia Alston, David Alston and Sydney Alston; six great grandchildren Micah, Jovianna, Gill, Cooper, Wren and Ella. She is preceded in death by her parents, Gilbert and Selma Zemke, sister Jean Henning, and brothers Dwayne Zemke and Ronald Zemke.

Ode To Her Joy

Her life began in a small rural town in Wisconsin,

Her gifts and beauty were abundant and then some,

She loved life, she loved to laugh,

She became her school’s homecoming queen, onward to her path,

She was a brown and wavey haired girl set out to conquer the world,

A nurse she would become, her path soon unfurled,

She loved the Lord and spoke of Him often,

The Lord gifted her with music to express her emotion,

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of Love,

Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above,

During nursing school, she fell deeper in love with a handsome skinny farmer boy,

They courted and soon she knew he filled her heart with incredible joy,

She followed her prince in shinning armor across this vast country,

Having three little ones after finally returning home, she had her precious family,

She loved to cheer her kids on and sing their praises,

The joy she poured into her family was ever so present as seen on their faces,

She was a woman who loved so hard it definitely hurt,

She only wanted the best for us, never wanting the worst,

Her heart was bigger than life, shoot for the sky,

There was a part of her that often struggled to wonder why,

Why does pain come,

Why does it sting,

Why does it run,

At times into so many dear and precious things,

It was her heart that gave this precious girl inside of her failing body one last beat,

She is now with the God of Heaven worshiping at His very feet,

Thou our Father, Christ our brother, all who live in love are Thine,

Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine,

Mom, we love you and always will,

Bask in God’s amazing presence as now your heart can be ever still!

Our Love Forever,

Your Three Kids

A private memorial service will be held at First Lutheran of Arland. Interment will be in the church cemetery. Cremation services entrusted to the O’Connell Family Funeral Homes.