Diane Lea Silveira

Diane was born Dec. 7, 1938 in San Francisco to Douglas and Ethel Watkins. She graduated from Lincoln High School and University of Arizona at Flagstaff. Her goal was to teach on an Indian Reservation which she did for 2 ½ years at the Navajo Reservation in Chinlee. She lived in a trailer with her dog, Scat. Her mother wanted her closer to home so she ended up in Cotati, teaching Special Ed at Waldo Rohnert Elementary in Rohnert Park. Here she met Bill Silveira and they were married Aug 12, 1967 in San Francisco and settled in Petaluma after the honeymoon. She finished her career at John Reed Elementary and retired in 2000 after 36 ½ years of service. She travelled Europe with her mother, Africa with a teacher friend, and cruised with Bill to Alaska, Panama Canal and New Zealand/Australia. Many trips were made to Oregon, Northern California and to Yellowstone National Park. Her passion was painting. She studied under a master painter in Vallejo, winning a blue ribbon for art at the Petaluma Fair. She painted a mural on the neighbor's barn wall and painted a pumpkin annually for a friend. She especially enjoyed a painting class she attended in Santa Rosa and the knitting lessons she was taking. She was the type of person people felt comfortable talking to and easily met new friends. Her pride and joy was her 1938 Pontiac Sedan with flames on the front and an Indian mural on the trunk, which was her design and created by Robert Kramer. She was preceded in death by her parents Douglas and Ethel Watkins and her brother David. She is survived by her husband Bill, nephew Jason, niece Lea, and grand nephew Haden. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Petaluma. Services will be held for Diane on Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 11:00 am at Parent-Sorensen Mortuary & Crematory, 850 Keokuk St, Petaluma. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Funeral Service

Parent-Sorensen Mortuary and Crematory

Saturday, December 10, 2016 11:00 AM 850 Keokuk Street Petaluma, California 94952 Directions