Ellen Diane Whitaker

Ellen Diane Whitaker, 85, of Lubbock, passed away on Tuesday, April 23, 2024             

Private family services will be held at a later date.

Diane was born July 2, 1938, in Fort Scott, Kansas to Glen and Dorothy Junge. She graduated from Joplin High School before attending the University of Kansas, where she was active with the Delta Gamma Sorority.  She graduated with a B. A. in Education with a Special Ed Certification.  She married Dennis Payne on August 29, 1959, and moved to Lubbock in 1965.  She taught at St. Christopher Catholic Church in Lubbock, before teaching at West Ward Elementary in Slaton.  She married Sanford Whitaker on November 23, 1971. She had a passion for and was active with Special Olympics. Diane served with the Ransom Canyon Fire Department from 1977 to 1982 and was the first woman Fire Chief in West Texas. She loved to read and to travel and enjoyed watching the wildlife that Lake Ransom provided. Diane never met a stranger and cared deeply for her friends and family.

She is preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Sanford.

Diane is survived by her daughters, Debbie Hunt, and her husband, Kerry of Wolfforth, and DeeDee Tschirhart and her husband, Kevin of Peculiar, Mo.; her son, David Payne and his wife, Kristina of Wooster, OH.; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.