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In memory of

Diane Rene Holmes

Los Gatos, CA, USA

September 10, 1946 - October 21, 2020

Sep 10, 1946 - Oct 21, 2020

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This is not an announcement of death. This is an announcement of a life well-lived. That is not to say there will not be tears or grief, but the force of nature that was Diane Rene Holmes deserves more than a rote list of events.

Diane Holmes grew up in Southern California as the quintessential surfer chick, driving through Newport Beach in her 1957 blue Thunderbird with surfboards sticking out the back. In 1966, Diane became une étudiante de la vie, traveling around Europe and spending a semester as a Sorbonne co-ed, fostering a lifelong love of travel. Stateside, she was besotted with a handsome speech pathology professor. Although nothing came of the crush, this propelled her into a 37 year career (after graduating from CSU Fullerton in 1970). She team-taught with her BFF De Schuyler from 1974 to 1985 at Garden Gate Elementary in the Cupertino Union School District. Over the years, she made an indelible difference for hundreds of students, navigating the communication deficits of the children she worked with and forever changing their lives.

Diane was old guard Los Gatos with family roots dating back to 1895. When her family ended up back on their Los Gatos mountain in 1973, she became the sharp shooting queen of Topside, known to hurtle down her one-way drive with her rottweilers in the back of her old orange jeep or her Barbie Suburban with pink running boards, occasionally shooting rattlesnakes off the front porch in order to protect the family. She lived on the mountain until she passed. But when she ventured down the mountain, she was a regular at LGHS football games in the ‘90s and moonlighted as a hairdresser for the school plays and musicals.

Although married to Wayne Rice for a while, they weren’t the right fit for each other and she moved on. She told everyone for years (including Wayne) that the best thing they ever did together was have their daughter Kasey. Post Wayne, she met the love of her life - William (Bill) Sorenson. They spent 37 years together, which included many trips to watch their beloved A’s play baseball, many Halloween costume parties, and many dinners at their friends’ restaurant Ednaray’s.

For decades, she was an incredible mother to Kasey and also to Kasey’s two best friends, Alicia and Cynthia. They are known as her “other daughters”. The three families were inseparable, from weddings to holidays to the births of babies, and Alicia and Kasey have no doubt that their moms are arguing together in heaven.

It was hard to imagine seeing Diane without some sort of animal around her, and over the years she had a constant stream of beloved cats and dogs. There was even a brief moment where she had a pony and several ducks. She believed in rescuing animals that needed her, and so in lieu of flowers the family would love donations to her favorite animal shelter: San Martin Animal Shelter, 12370 Murphy Avenue, San Martin, CA 95046 or through her memorial fundraiser, the Diane Holmes Memorial Fundraiser with the County of Santa Clara Animal Services.

Diane had always dreamed of having a little boy, and even named her daughter Jake Robert until the day she was born - when she had to face the fact that Kasey was a girl. She finally got her little boy when her amazing grandson entered her life - Josiah James William Rice. She is survived by Josiah, Kasey, Bill, her sister Maricia, and a host of nieces and nephews (and their families).

She fulfilled her lifelong dream of traveling to Alaska twice. One of those trips was at age 73, when she took her “medicinal” edibles through the airport security in a wheelchair and on oxygen, daring TSA to arrest her. Diane was fearless - the champion of standing up for what she believed in. She loved the little things too - peach gummies, Cheetos, Disneyland, and a good mystery novel. Outspoken but compassionate, straightforward but kind, thriving when surrounded by family and friends, she picked her battles but never shied away from a challenge.

As October began to fade, Diane expressed her desire to see her mother again. On the morning of October 21, 2020, Diane peacefully slipped through the ether to find her.

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In lieu of flowers, consider a gift to County of Santa Clara Animal Services.

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