Diane O. (Wallace) Mcdaniel

Born August 9th, 1950, Diane O. McDaniel, age 71, transitioned peacefully on June 1st, 2022. She was preceded in death by her parents Beatrice and George Wallace and brothers David and George Wallace, Jr. She was the oldest of seven children.

Early on, Diane began to appreciate the importance of looking her best as she spent the night at her grandmother's watching her Uncle Ken and Uncle Dud getting "dapper" for their dates on Friday nights. Her sophisticated style was her trademark which was always punctuated with her love of the color black.

After transferring schools in the 6th grade, to Hazeldell Elementary the teacher asked Janna Connor if she would walk Diane home on her first day, which launched the beginning of a committed and endearing lifelong friendship. She and Janna would walk to school and life together from this day on.

Once in high school, she met Bea Charles, Lynn Charles and Donna Reed, and a host of other lifelong friends who also loved and valued the education and life experience at "The Big GV." Once grown "The Girls" as she called them would regularly meet on Friday's at the Togo and enjoyed countless annual vacations to Hilton Head and other destinations.

A consummate professional, Diane cultivated a longstanding career in Human Resources. She began her human resources career at Cleveland Twist Drill after being promoted from a Clerk Typist to Personnel Specialist. What began as a promotion ultimately resulted in her achieving the role of Vice President of Human Resources at Acme-Cleveland.  Diane loved her work in HR and shared this passion with her sister Clarice Henderson who would follow in her footsteps.

A believer in the importance of education and lifelong learning, she received an Executive Master of Business Administration Degree from Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve. Her unwavering commitment to education and Weatherhead was acknowledged when she was named Weatherhead School of Management Outstanding Alumnus, which led to her creating the Diane O. McDaniel Endowment at the school to provide scholarships for minority business students. She also established a scholarship through the Cleveland Foundation for graduating seniors at Glenville High School.

She would go on to serve as Interim President & CEO for Center for Family and Children, Executive Director of The Jamir Miller Foundation which provided scholarships to deserving students and end her lustrous career as Director of Human Resources for the Cleveland Metroparks.

The family matriarch, Diane's home was a hub for many a family gathering. An excellent cook (who made the best macaroni & cheese), a serious Browns fan, and a lover of shopping for herself and others. The perfect home for her was a home to many. Her kitchen counters remained filled with the cards and flowers that were evidence of countless friendships and generous giving.

Diane was an active member of East Mount Zion Baptist Church, having served as Women's Day Chairperson, President of Group 15 and as a mentor to many young people.

Diane leaves cherished memories with her sisters Donna Berry, Clarice Henderson (John), Jeanne Wallace; brother Donald Wallace (Tabrina); nieces; Morgan Clement, Errin Weaver (Kenneth), Shantina Charlot (Lionel), Cori Wallace, nephews Justin Berry and Brad Wallace; cousin LaDonna Ragland and Erica Wallace, and a host of family members, loved ones and dear friends.