Diane Mary McMenomy (Locaria)
August 24, 1934 to August 24, 2015

NICE, Calif. – Diane McMenomy died peacefully of natural causes on Monday, Aug. 24, 2015, at her home in Nice. She left this world on her 81st birthday.

Born with an innate artistic talent, Diane could see beauty in everything. She looked at the world and the people in it in terms of potential, how everything could be shaped and molded into something outstanding. She could transform even the most ordinary of objects into elegance and grandeur.

She lived her life in search of the next great project, the next great second hand store “goodies” to find and display. From artwork to her beloved toys and most of all dolls, she surrounded herself with beauty.

She carried that beauty with her in her journey from the San Francisco Bay Area where she was born and where she raised her children to her retirement on the shores of Clear Lake.

She loved her rose garden and planting and nurturing new life. She brought wild strawberries from the first home she owned with her husband, Bill, in Daly City, to her home in San Bruno, and then to Upper Lake and Nice. These were planted alongside the rose bushes she could start from a simple cutting and grow into beautiful, thriving plants. 

Above all, Diane loved life. She loved her family, both those born to her and those chosen as family. She was able to extend her love to any who asked, and perhaps more importantly, those who could not ask but needed it most of all. It is in this way she will be most sorely missed.

Diane was the oldest child of Sepreiono and Evelyn Falke Locaria. She was preceded in death by her husband, William Harold McMenomy, and her younger brother, Gary Joseph Locaria.

She is survived by her four children, William Jr., Michael, Kenneth and Elizabeth Regina. Her legacy lives on in her four grandchildren: Michelle Hernandez, Michael McMenomy Jr., Steven Mario McMenomy, and especially, Iris Evelyn Mathewson.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, at her home in Nice. Please contact her daughter, Regina, for details at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Lighthouse Family Retreat ( https://lighthousefamilyretreat.org/donate/ ) or the Botanical Society of America ( http://botany.org/ ).