DiAnne Gonce

DiAnne Gonce 56, 1104 E. Jefferson St., Plymouth, a lifetime Marshall County resident, formerly of Bourbon, Ind.,  has died.

DiAnne died, following an illness, at 12:05 a.m. on Sunday, March 19, 2000, in the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Plymouth.

DiAnne was born on September 14, 1943, in Plymouth.  She was the daughter of Harold A. and Virginia Grant King.  She was a 1961 graduate of Triton High School and graduated from the House of James Beauty School in South Bend.

On December 26, 1966, in Culver, DiAnne and Stephen H. Gonce, also a hairdresser, were married.  Steve died on May 19, 1989.

When DiAnne’s father Harold was Sheriff of Marshall County from 1965 – 1969, she served as a jail matron.  She was then manager of Plymouth’s Big Blue Store from 1980 to 1988 and ran her craft business, Di’s Designs managing a popular booth at the Blueberry and other festivals.

DiAnne loved life.  She enjoyed water sports: boating and swimming.  She was a knowledgeable bird watcher and loved buffalos.  A girl with a green thumb, she liked flower and vegetable gardening, always including her personal favorite, sunflowers. 

 A bit of a daredevil, she enjoyed riding motorcycles with family members.

 A charter member of the Marshall County Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police Auxilliary, she also belonged to the Eastern Star Chapter #26.

DiAnne is survived by five children.  They are her daughter, Jamie J. Gonce and sons, Troy J. Gonce, Stephan H. Jr. and Melinda Gonce and Abree S. Gonce, all of Plymouth and Aaron T. Gonce of Muncie.

  Two granddaughters and a grandson, all of Plymouth, also survive: Amanda K., Ashley N., and Garrett T. Gonce. Her brother, Jon H. and Linda King and Mickey King, a nephew, all of Plymouth, survive as well.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.

Visitation will be at the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21st.

Funeral services will be on Wednesday, March 22 at 11 a.m. in the funeral home.  Pastor Tony Schneiders, of the Walnut Church of the Brethren, Argos will officiate.

 Burial will be in Oakhill Cemetery, Plymouth.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association.