Diana Kolbas Alverson

Diana Mary Kolbas Alverson was born August 26, 1941 in West Orange, New Jersey to William Eugene Kolbas and Charlotte Rainey Kolbas. She was an only child. Diana lovingly remembered spending the summers on the Jersey shore with her Aunt Gene. She enjoyed a few years of modeling for the McCall's magazine as a child. When Diana was thirteen, her family moved to Miami, Florida, where she finished her education. Her friends and the beach brought her joy. She met Richard Thomas Clark Alverson in the church choir and told us a story of when he would take her out for ice cream and bowling while they were dating. They married in 1961, and she had her first of four children in 1962. Diana enjoyed cooking and being a homemaker. She led the youth group at church for several years in Florida. In 1969, Diana moved with her husband and three children to Alliance, Ohio. She had her fourth child in 1971. She was a dedicated member of the First Presbyterian Church, helping in the nursery, organizing many event lunches, leading the youth program, and helping the church secretary. The church had a set of handbells, and Diana and her husband donated the funds to purchase two more octaves of handbells and started a youth choir. The Alverson family played the handbells together and had so much fun doing it together. Diana loved dogs, and her husband enjoyed photography as a hobby. In 1962, Diana was asked to take pictures at a small dog show, which rolled into the Alverson Photographers Inc. family business, active for thirty-eight years, where all her children learned to photograph and how to run a small business. In the later years of her career, she found joy in owning a few racehorses and traveling to dog shows in her motorhome. Diana retired from photography in 1998. Diana's oldest daughter, Grace, passed away in 1993, and her husband, Richard, passed away in 1995. Diana settled in Newnan, GA, and joined the Newnan Presbyterian church, where she led a few women's Bible studies, organized event lunches, served on worship and membership committees, and sang in the choir. Diana enjoyed greeting people and getting to know them. Diana loved her children wholeheartedly and encouraged them to be anything they wanted. Diana was a very active and cheerful person and wanted everyone else to be cheerful daily with her. Who you were or what your status in life did not matter to Diana. What mattered to her the most was that she greeted every person as if they were the most special person in the room, bringing happiness to everyone she met. Diana lived a very full life, loving many and being loved by many. Diana passed surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and her church family on December 16, 2024, from a body that could not keep up with her spirit of get-up-and-go to be active with a smile. Diana's legacy lives on through her three beloved adult children and five cherished grandchildren, all of whom will carry the warmth of her cheerful words of encouragement and boundless love in their hearts forever. Until we meet again. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory, 770-253-4582

Diana Kolbas Alverson

August 26, 1941 - December 16, 2024