Notice regarding Coronavirus...Read More

Plan Ahead

Neff, Diane Elizabeth (Wheelock)

June 10, 1943 –
 June 5, 2020

Obituary

Diane Elizabeth Wheelock Neff, age 76, was killed in a car accident in Dallas, Texas on June 5, 2020. She was born June, 10 1943 in Milwaukee Wisconsin to Sidney and Elizabeth Wheelock.  She was educated at Whitefish Bay High School and later attended Drake University in Des Moines, IA where she met and married the father of her children, Don Witter.  She later in life attended Elmhurst College in Illinois where she was able to finish her schooling and received her Bachelor’s degree in front of her proud parents and children.   She lived in Whitefish Bay, WI; Chicago, IL; Glenview, IL; Glendale Heights, IL; Wheaton, IL; Naperville, IL; and Coppell Texas for the last 22 years.  She worked for Illinois Bell/Ameritech until retiring in 1998. Diane came out of retirement briefly after moving to Texas and worked for Texas Title.  Her greatest job was a mother to her children and a grandmother to her grandchildren. Diane was preceded in death by the love of her life, Christopher Lambert; her brother James Wheelock; her parents Sidney and Elizabeth (Zimmerman) Wheelock; and the father of her children, Don Witter. Diane is survived by her Sister, Barbara (Wheelock) Hamilton; Daughter and Son-in-Law Kristin Witter and John Wasp; Daughter and Son-in-Law Jennifer (Witter) Grant and Ed Grant; Granddaughter and Husband Samantha and Matt McDonnell; Grandsons Jake and Scott Grant; and countless other families and friends as every friend she considered as family. Diane’s greatest gift was the ability to touch lives through respect, friendship, gratitude, and loving intentionally; she was our shining light.  Our happiness was doubled and our pain was halved by having her in our lives and that presence will live on in all of our hearts that had the blessing to know her for even one day. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled when we are all able to be together safely in Texas and Illinois. The family is asking for memorial gifts to be made to the following:

  • Lupus Foundation of America as requested in her will for the remembrance of a dear friend
  • American Cancer Society for the remembrance of the love of her life
  • Alzheimer’s Foundation for the father of her children and his family suffering this disease
  • American Heart Association for her father, brother and daughter
Please leave the family condolences and share memories on this website.  

Arrangements under the direction of:

Aria Cremation Service and Funeral Home

19310 Preston Road

Dallas, Texas 75252

(214) 306-6700

    Cindi Baumeister
    8 Jun 2020
    1:41pm

    I am so so very sad to hear of your passing. You were my partner in crime at RRLE and always knew what to say. I will miss your smile and your contagious laugh my friend. You meant the world to me. My most sincere sympathy to the family. She loved and talked about each of you with so much joy and love. Sweet well my dear friend…until we meet again. Love, Cindi Baumeister

    Jamie Lee
    8 Jun 2020
    2:05pm

    Diane was such a beautiful person and we will greatly miss her. Our deepest condolences to her family that she loved so very much. Prayers for peace and comfort. Jamie and Tommy Lee

    Mary Lou Chamberlain
    8 Jun 2020
    6:25pm

    Kristin, Jennifer and your families,
    My love and prayers are with all of you. Diane was a true blessing in my life and a most special friend, truly one of a kind. I always called her my “Angel Friend” because she was an angel in her caring and love. Now she will be my Angel Friend in Heaven. She will always be with all of us. I pray you will find comfort in feeling her peace and love as she rests with family and her beloved Chief in the presence of our Lord. God bless you and our wonderful Diane.

    Marilyn Ligocki
    9 Jun 2020
    10:13am

    A fun loving and great leader for RRLE Wi. RIP

    Carolyn Hunter Oates
    10 Jun 2020
    7:50am

    I was so sad to hear about Diane’s death. Diane was my pledge mom at Drake and we have been in touch all these years. We had lunch with a group of Chi O’s last summer for which I am so thankful. Many happy memories of Diane and her wonderful smile and laugh. Diane and I had another connection. Diane’s parents were friends of my parents at Carroll College. So we shared so many memories. My sympathies to you girls and families.

    Linda & Jonathan Cooke
    10 Jun 2020
    8:34am

    There are no words to adequately express this tragic loss. We pray for Diane’s family, Kristin, Jennifer, Samantha, Jake and Scott. We wish you love and healing. May God Bless You all.

    Bobbie March.
    10 Jun 2020
    5:50pm

    Diane and I were Sorority sisters. So sorry for your loss. ❤️

    robert d luckey
    11 Jun 2020
    5:44pm

    ever.She had a great sense of humor, loved her family completely and had the strongest heart and spirit. She never forget a friend.
    Bo

    Barbara A Ruth
    19 Jun 2020
    12:57pm

    She could breathe life into the room, have you laughing on your worst day and help you see your next chapter. She left an impact on everyone.

    Lisa Wollney
    19 Jun 2020
    2:35pm

    How I loved every moment with Diane. She was my second mom and will be truly missed. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.

    Dianna Gibbond
    19 Jun 2020
    3:17pm

    My heart breaks for her family where she found so much joy and pride! I want to thank her for being the type of friend that always made time for you and truly cared about you, do genuine.i hope she felt that from me. She was a one in a million kind of person I was lucky enough to call friend. Again love to her family!

    TED J BANDUR
    20 Jun 2020
    5:11am

    Sorry to hear. Gone too soon.

    Sharon Pettigrew
    30 Jun 2020
    5:34pm

    I am shocked by this news. My condolences and prayers go out to her family and everyone who had their life touched by this remarkable woman.

    Marr
    2 Jul 2020
    3:18pm

    Our never-ending condolences to our Diane’s family. Losing Diane is a tremendous loss for the “girls” in our high school group. It was “Granny” who brought us together after we had all flung ourselves away from Whitefish Bay to the outer world after college, before the days of email. Our high school years were our formative years, where we knew eachother in ways that new friends cannot; it is a remarkable gift that we are still in touch, and we owe this in great part to our “Granny”. It’s fun to reflect on the bits and pieces of what we did and things she said– her energy was legendary and we will always remember her hearty laugh and wonderful sense of humor. How lucky we are to have her as part of our lives, still. May she know how we care, and may she rest in peace.

Leave A Condolence

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Testimonials

R. Driver
Read More
"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
Read More
"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
Read More
"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
Read More
"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
Read More
"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
Read More
"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
Read More
"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
Read More
"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
Previous
Next

Get In Touch

Locations

Immediate Attention

Contact Us

Preston Road

“George Bush at Preston”

Aria - Northwest Highway

“5 Miles East of Hillcrest Memorial Park / Lake Highlands”

Funeral Homes Irving Tx: Aria Cremation

“Belt Line Road at 183”

Fannin Memorial Gardens

Veterans Funeral Services

Darst Funeral Home

Search Obituaries

Search

Important Information

  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

    BELTLINE ROAD
    972.607.4400

  2. Click here to Download the Cremation Forms.
  3. Have the cremation authorization form notarized
  4. Fax the forms back to us at:
    • NW Highway
      214-340-8009
    • Preston Rd.
      972-526-7410
    • Belt Line Rd.
      972-573-1008
 

Additional Information