In Memory of Diana Perham ~
She was tremendously proud of her family and spoke often of their accomplishments. They are an impressive bunch—bright, well educated, accomplished, and, as Diana would certainly want mentioned, a very good-looking family.
Diana’s definition of family was generous. Some were hers by birth, others by marriage, and still others simply earned a place in her heart. If Diana considered you family, you knew it.
The Rotary Club of Walnut Grove extends our deepest condolences to all of Diana's family and friends.
In Loving Memory
Diana Perham
July 11, 1934 – September 7, 2026
The Rotary Club of Walnut Grove remembers with great affection our longtime friend and fellow Rotarian, Diana Perham, a woman who was ahead of her time and whose place in the history of our Club is a special one.
Diana was the first woman to serve as President of the Rotary Club of Walnut Grove, helping open a door through which many others would follow. But Diana’s Rotary story was much larger than a title or a year of service. She was a Rotarian through and through. Interested, involved, outspoken, curious, and always ready to pick up the telephone when she had an idea, information, wanted someone involved, or thought something should be done.
Those who knew Diana knew that she had opinions, and she wasn't particularly shy about sharing them. She was direct and determined, qualities that served her well throughout a long life in which women of her generation were not always encouraged to be either. Diana cared about her Club and her community, and she stayed interested in both for as long as she possibly could.
Diana also had a wonderfully youthful quality about her. Her beautiful skin seemed to defy the years, and she simply never looked her age. Even well into her nineties, there was something remarkably young about Diana - not only in her appearance, but in her curiosity, her opinions, and her interest in what everyone was doing.
Then again, Diana was not alone. The Rotary Club of Walnut Grove seems to have discovered its own little secret to aging well. We are fortunate to have several members well into their eighties and nineties who continue to show us how it's done - stay involved, keep smiling, enjoy your friends, and apparently never tell anyone where you're hiding the fountain of youth.
She especially treasured the years she participated in our Club's dental service trips to Mexico. Those trips brought together so much of what Diana loved about Rotary - friendship, adventure, service, and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
As the years passed and attending Rotary functions became more difficult, Diana never stopped being part of the Club. Invitations were still met with an enthusiastic “yes,” even when the day arrived and she wasn't able to join us. She remained interested in what we were doing, who was doing it, and what was coming next. A telephone conversation with Diana could cover Rotary, community happenings, history, an idea she wanted you to consider, and probably a strong opinion or two along the way.
That was Diana.
She had an especially wonderful way of keeping the gentlemen of our Club on their toes. When “Mother Superior” called, they knew they had better answer and more often than not, they did. It was part of the affection, respect, and friendship Diana built over many years with her fellow Rotarians.
Diana also had a remarkable memory and a lifetime of stories. She could talk about the Bay Area of her younger years, the changes she had witnessed, her family, life along the Delta, her beloved houseboat, and the people and places that had become important to her. She listened, too. A conversation with Diana was truly a conversation.
For those fortunate enough to know her personally, there was another side to this strong and independent woman. Diana could be tremendously supportive. She noticed what people were doing, encouraged work she believed in, and was generous with her confidence in others. Her friendships mattered to her.
In recent years, we saw less of Diana at our meetings and events, but she never really disappeared from Rotary. Her voice was still on the telephone. Her interest was still there. And so was Diana.
We will miss that voice.
We will miss her questions, her opinions, her stories, her telephone calls, and the unmistakable determination of a woman who spent a lifetime being very much herself.
Most of all, we will miss our friend.
Diana helped make history in the Rotary Club of Walnut Grove, but perhaps her greater legacy is that she never treated Rotary history as something that was finished. She remained interested in what came next and in the people who would carry the work forward.
As President Josh expressed, there will be an empty place at our table, but Diana Perham will always have a place in the history and the heart of the Rotary Club of Walnut Grove.
Rest well, Diana. You made a difference.
