Diana Johns passed away on Friday November 13, 2009. She had been seriously ill for several years, fighting for survival so she could stay with her four children (Matt 21, Nick 13, Mitchell 11, and Sean 8).

Her role as a Mom was central to her life but she had a big heart which enabled her to touch the lives of many other people.

She loved to have fun and to make people around her laugh. She relished giving to others, particularly finding gifts that were novel and new. She loved to entertain guests and was an accomplished cook. Diana was an accomplished artist and the last art that she was able to do was an incredible Sponge Bob theme for her youngest son - floor to ceiling characters that delighted everyone who saw it. She made the main holidays a major production and loved having family with her on those special days.

She was active in her sons' schools and sports and also in the community. Before her illness she had boundless energy to keep up with her active boys, manage the household, and even find time to train for the triathlon. She always wanted to help friends who were in need of help.

Diana was born in 1966 in Fairfax and lived in Northern Virginia for most of her life. She graduated from Woodson HS and after attending Auburn University got a degree in psychology from George Mason University. Her first child Matt was born in 1988 by a prior marriage. She married Gregg Johns in 1997 and they had three children together. She is also survived by her parents Sonja and Richard Heimlich, her parents in law John and Nancy Johns, her sisters Deirdre and Debbie Heimlich, and brother Steve Heimlich.

All of us who loved her have our favorite stories or remembrances about our time with her and a some of them are included them below. We hope that others who knew her will add their own thoughts and experiences on this website.
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From Mom (Sonja Heimlich)

Once upon a time there was an incredible child named Diana. She dreamed of princesses and palaces, unicorns and rainbows. As a child she drew one princess after the other, attired in billowy dresses and tiaras perched on their heads with rainbows overhead and unicorns waiting to whisk her away. By her teen years, a very dear friend coined the term "Princess Di" (since Diana, Princess of Whales was so dominant in the news at that time). That term has stuck to this day. I was thinking how similar their personalities were - this Princess from the Far Away Land of England and our Princess Di. They were both beautiful women whose greatest beauty lay within their hearts. They both has a zest for living that transcended the world they lived in, were unselfishly compassionate and generous, had a smile that transfixed us and a sense of humor that could make the cloudiest day sunny. The Princesses Di found out too soon that fairy tales do not always have happy endings and that Life sometimes robs us of our dearest dreams. No wicked witch came along and put a spell on her - the evil entity was the myriad of maladies that attacked her body; not even the darkest of fairy tales could have foretold such a tragedy. But one wish that she made on the stars at night did come true - that she would be blessed with children that she would love and that would love her - four beautiful boys that she loved fiercely and with all her heart and soul. They are her legacy, as is the case of "The Princess of the People", Diana, Princess of Whales. Our Princess will be missed and loved by so many people whom she touched. I hope there was a golden chariot that took her away to the beautiful palace where she longed to dwell.
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Dad (Richard Heimlich)

It is a terrible thing to outlive your children but I will always treasure the time I had with Diana. I have the greatest admiration for her strength in facing a long series of medical issues over the last five years -- I don't know anyone else that would have endured the pain, misdiagnoses, mistreatment, and lack of accountability in the medical profession (with a few notable exceptions). Adversity is a test of character. As her body turned on her, her spirit grew stronger. Somehow she got up and faced every day's challenge without getting discouraged or overwhelmed, year after year. Her love for her children kept her going longer than anyone could reasonably expect. Now that she is gone there is a vacuum in our lives that will be difficult to fill.

My daughter wasn't perfect -- she sometimes didn't follow the sage advice of her father, for example -- but she tried to be the best she could be in supporting and caring for her loved ones. She took great pleasure in stirring things up, pushing boundaries, and ragging on her dad (and others). She had a knack for persuasion. One time she even got me to do a bungie jump on a dare, something no one else could have done. I truly think she would have been an amazing politician if she had not chosen to have a family and devote herself to raising her boys.

Diana lives on in the hearts and minds of many people and we will celebrate that legacy with her passing.
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Older sister (Deirdre Heimlich)

Even as I write this I am struggling with what to say and how to sum up all of the feelings I am having over losing my younger sister. With less than a 2 year difference in age, and uniquely different personalities, we had our share of challenges as sisters. Some of you may find this hard to believe, but Diana was the quiet, shy dreamer when she was young and had to grow up with a sister who "challenged" those things in her on a constant basis! She grew into a strong, beautiful person who faced challenges I could have never imagined for her, and had the conviction and strength to fight through difficulties that most could people could never endure.

Towards the end of her life, and through a very difficult time in mine, she opened her home and family to me, as she had in her heart to do for so many people throughout her life. I was fortunate to have gotten to spend quite a bit of time with her the past couple years, and it is time I will always cherish. She was an incredibly big-hearted person, beyond generous, and would do anything for those she cared about. She taught me some valuable lessons in her lifetime, and I can only hope to carry on the love that she had for her family and children as her proud older sister. She touched so many of us throughout her life, tragically cut too short, so it is my promise to her today to ensure that we never forget the amazing person that she was. She will always be with us, and I am a better person for having the privilege to say that she was my little sister.
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Younger sister (Debbie Heimlich)

From the time I was little , I looked up to my big sister. Deirdre and Diana always competed with each other in every regard since they were so close in age. I was so lucky that they both just looked after me and took care of me. Growing up, Diana was someone I always wanted to be like. She was beautiful, funny, loving and caring. She had such a big heart and was always there for anyone that asked. I have so many wonderful memories of my big sister and will cherish them forever.

I am so mad that illness took my sister from not only me and my family but her 4 boys that she loved more than life. She told me even before she had kids that she wanted to be a "Mom". She fought so hard for so long just to be here for her boys. As her friend just said to me "Her body could not keep up with her spirit". I am glad that she is not in pain anymore and I hope she will be able to watch after her children in a better place without the pain.

One of the things that her illness could not take from her was her big heart. She was one of the most generous and giving people in so many ways. Anyone that asked for help she was there to help.

I will miss my sister. There is a pain in my heart that I hope will heal with time. I love you Diana! I hope there are Doritos, Carmel Creams and Mountain Dew in Heaven :)

I wanted to post a few memories of Diana so I could smile a bit:

For one of Diana's birthday parties, my Mom made her a Barbie birthday cake. This cake had a real Barbie doll in the middle and then a dome cake built around it. It was an awesome cake and all the kids thought it was so cool. So when it came time to eat cake all the kids sat around the table to sing Happy Birthday. My Mom lit the candles and brought the cake to put in front of Diana to blow them out. Well as we were singing and Diana's was getting ready to blow out the candles the Barbie's hair caught on fire!!!! We went from such joy to horror when we saw Barbie was on fire. Of course my Mom took care of the situation but we will never forgot that birthday.

The four kids loved to go to a pizza place called Shakey's. This was an all you can eat pizza place. I don't know why but all of us would get so excited about Shakey's. We used to compete to see who could eat the most pizza. My parents would tell us early in the morning when we were going to Shakey's and the four of us would not eat all day so we could pig out at Shakey's. I never even got close but Steve and Deirdre and Diana could eat 20 or more pieces of pizza! Kinda makes you sick to think about it now :)

When we would get in trouble, my Mom would send us to our rooms. A lot of times we would get in trouble together and be sent to our rooms at the same time. Deirdre, Diana and I had rooms on the same floor. We were not allowed to talk while we were in trouble but Deirdre and Diana and I devised a way to communicate. We would write notes to each other and put them in a book and slide them to the other person's room. Mom just found out a few years ago and got a good laugh out of our "system".