Diana M. Romero Wehr

Diana M. Romero Wehr, 71, of Sigourney, Iowa died on July 23, 2024. She had a peaceful transition with her husband and four daughters at her side while under the care of Essence of Life Hospice. A Catholic Mass of Resurrection was held on Friday July 26, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., St Mary Catholic Church, Sigourney, Iowa. Visitation was Thursday July 25, at the Holm Funeral Home in Sigourney with a prayer service at 3:30 with visitation to follow.

 Diana was born on April 12, 1953, in Des Moines, Iowa to Dr. Jose M. and Fidelia I. Romero, the first born of seven children in ten years. Diana became the second mother to her younger siblings and shared many stories growing up in a family of 7 children and their many antics and activities. She graduated from St. Augustin Catholic grade school, St. Joseph Academy, an all-female Catholic high school in Des Moines, and Creighton University, the Jesuit college in Omaha. Diana continued her education at the University of Nebraska in Omaha where she graduated with a Master of Science degree in Speech Pathology. During her final year at Creighton University, she met her husband John N. Wehr and they were married March 5, 1977 at St. Augustin Catholic Church in Des Moines. Shortly after her graduation from UNO they moved to Des Moines and they then moved to Sigourney, Iowa in 1979. Diana was employed as a speech pathologist for the Ottumwa Regional Health Center for over nineteen years and worked with several rehabilitation companies traveling to area nursing homes to provide speech therapy. During these years she and John raised 4 daughters, she volunteered extensively with St. Mary Catholic Church, the local Girl Scout troops, Hospice, and she is a Master Gardener. Diana’s passion for community service and her generosity has inspired others and she leaves a legacy of compassion and civic engagement.

Diana was passionate about gardening and art and she took pleasure in quiet time. She enjoyed caring for her flower and vegetable gardens and volunteered to maintain pollinator and flower gardens at various locations in Sigourney. She appreciated the company of old and new friends. The volunteers that she worked with became friends and her family always came first! Diana had a keen eye for capturing beautiful photos. She had a green thumb; her house was full of plants and her garden full of beautiful flowers that she carefully planned out and tended with a focus on plants native to Iowa. A special thanks to all of the volunteers that she worked with.

Diana was preceded in death by her parents, a sister Greta Romero, and in-laws Ambrose and Barbara Dorothy Wehr, Mary Ann Edwards and Walter Friese. She is survived by her husband John and their four daughters Jennifer, Elizabeth (Stephen Santiago); Emily and Juliet; brothers Joseph, Mark (Kelley), Fidel (Laura) and Jorge (Uva) and her sister Myra; sisters-in-law Barbara Friese and Helen Westcott (Emory) and brothers-in-law Richard (Cymie), Larry (Rhonda) & Leo (Sonya) Wehr, and many nieces / nephews and several cousins and their families. Diana also was an “adopted mother” and is survived by their foreign exchange student Eva Stolson from Macedonia now residing in Chicago.

Diana was extremely proud of her daughters who are very grateful for the things she taught them and the example of unconditional love she gave. We want to thank everyone for the love and kindness you have given to our wife and mother throughout her life.

If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 1 Corinthians 3:14