Diane E. Grasse, 69 of Lake In The Hills, passed away on Monday, June 5, 2017 at St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates following a lengthy illness.
She was born June 9, 1947 in West Allis, Wisconsin, the daughter of Carl J. and Marion R. (Buehrig) Conrad. She graduated from West Allis High School and obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse. She was united in marriage to Robert M. Grasse on June 26, 1968 in West Allis. The couple made their home in San Diego for a number of years and in 1981 moved to Palatine. Diane taught art and worked with special needs children for District 15 in Palatine at the Winston Campus and she taught Adult Fine Arts, Life Drawing at Harper College for many years. In 2005, she moved to Lake In the Hills and became active at Living Waters Lutheran Church. She enjoyed traveling, her dog, Tyger and especially the time she spent with her grandchildren.
She is survived by her sons, Matthew Grasse of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, David (Jen) Grasse of Lake In The Hills, her grandchildren, Keely and Connor and her sister, Cathy (George) Braun of Johnsburg. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert and her brother, Cary J. Conrad.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. and the family will greet friends after 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 10th at Living Waters Lutheran Church, 1808 Miller Road, Crystal Lake. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Diane’s name can be made to the church. For more information please call 847-515-8772 or online condolences can be made to www.defiorejorgensen.com
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I am so sorry for your loss. Your mother was a great faculty member who was kind and caring, happy and helpful. She had a quirkiness about her that set her aside from other people. I will never forget her performance to "Big Spender" with several of her colleagues at my retirement party. Everyone else had a boa of various colors - but your mother had a stuffed snake (green and white spots with a red tongue). She was one of a kind! I valued the sense of humor that she brought to our school and her commitment to the students and faculty. Please accept my deepest sympathy!
While teaching at Winston Campus, Diane always was smiling and pleasant. It was a pleasure to have known her.
Please accept my heartfelt condolences on Diane's passing. Diane was a highly valued educator at Winston Campus. I'll always remember her as a lovable and kind person. It was an honor to have known her.
We are so saddened by the loss of such a wonderful, beautiful person. Diane was kind to everyone. She has the best sense of humor and always made everyone laugh and smile. She was generous in spirit and just a delight to be around. She will be missed greatly but she is certainly happy now that she is with Rob. We wish peace and sweet memories to her entire family.
My husband who in his retirement took classes at Harper with Diane always spoke very highly of her and always looked forward to his night of drawing at Harper. My sincerest condolences to the family.
I'm so very sorry for your loss. I enjoyed working with Diane from time to time at Winston. I appreciated her art skills and her wonderful sense of humor. She will be missed.
I am so sorry for your loss. I knew Diane from her drawing class at Harper. Her nurturing, encouraging spirit and great sense of humor made her classes so much fun. She was also very kind to me and my family during a health crisis and tutored my daughter in art. I remember that she loved the song "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler, and I will always remember how she was always the one ready to lift up others. God Bless.
So sorry for your loss. I worked with Diane for years at Winston Campus and she was one of those people who just made work more enjoyable. She had such an easy going personality and so incredibly kind. She will be missed.