Diana Faye (Poelstra) Johnson, 79

Jan. 28,1945 — Aug. 5, 2024

Diana Faye (Poelstra) Johnson, 79, passed away peacefully in her sleep Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, after a battle with cancer. 

Diana was born in Belgrade, Mont., to Cornelius and Lola “Frances” Poelstra. As the oldest of seven, she was raised in Sandpoint, Idaho, on the Poelstra dairy farm. Upon graduation, she left Sandpoint and went to Montana State University. There she met David L. Johnson and was married April 17, 1965. Dave and Diana then moved to the Seattle area, where he worked for Boeing, and they raised their children in Brier, Wash.

Diana is the loving mother of three children: David, Deborah, and Dana. She is the proud grandmother of three grandchildren: Jessica, Garrett, and Tucker. Along with raising her children, Diana was continually active in her community of Brier. She became involved with the Brier Elementary School PTA. 

Diana then became active in city politics. She was elected as the city of Brier’s mayor in November 1977. Diana also served as a Brier City Council member from 1980 to 1984. Diana advocated for improvements to the city’s infrastructure which included sidewalk installation to keep children safe. During this time, she also worked as part-time bookkeeper and then as city treasurer for the city of Brier. Once her children were in school full time, she entered the workforce full time herself by becoming a full charge bookkeeper and corporate secretary for Wayne Construction for 13 years.

Diana always valued education and independence. Upon her divorce in 1985, Diana continued to work full time and pursue finishing her degree. She earned her associate degree in practical accounting from Shoreline Community College. She then went on to earn her bachelor of science in accounting from Central Washington University. She continued her education by taking MBA classes from Washington State University and became a certified public accountant and a certified management accountant. Diana then held many roles advancing in her career. She went from accounting manager to business manager to owning her own accounting firm for several years. After owning her own accounting firm, she became the controller for a not-for-profit company and then on to director of finance. After these roles, Diana went on to become an auditor for the Washington Department of Labor and Industries and then her final role with the Washington State Employment Securities Department.

Upon retiring from the state of Washington, Diana settled in her home in Benton City, Wash. Diana was happy to have more hours of sunshine over on the eastern side of the state and liked the colder winters. Here she was free to pursue all her passions with her free time. Diana loved to garden, bake, cook and sew. She raised chickens and ducks. Diana continued her advocacy by being involved in political organizations and spent time volunteering and donating to her favorite charities. 

Diana is survived by her children: David (Karrie) Johnson, Deborah (Wayne) Callahan, and Dana (Thomas) Hannon; grandchildren: Jessica, Garrett, and Tucker; siblings: Patti, Norma, Randy, Marie, and Tony; and her beloved pet chicken, “Chicken.” She was preceded in death by her sister, Carol. Diana will be missed for her love of life, her infectious laughter, and her spirit. We will miss her saying “at any rate” in her conversations as she habitually ran her fingers through her hair. Diana will live on eternally in our hearts. 

We will be hosting a celebration of Diana’s life Saturday, Sept. 14 near Sandpoint. Please contact carrybelle2022@yahoo.com for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of Diana’s favorite charities: Tri-Cities Union Gospel Mission, Mercy Corps, Habitat for Humanity of Tri-Cities, or Goodwill Industries Tri-Cities.