Obituary of Diane Sims Page

Diane Sims Page, a proud Minnesotan, Founder and Executive Director of the Page Education Foundation and a respected Market Research consultant, passed away on September 29th, 2018.

Diane was born January 17th, 1944, to Bernice and Irving Sims. She grew up to be fiercely independent, fiercely courageous and fiercely loyal to her family & friends. Diane was also a trailblazer, holding the offices of student council president and first female editor of her high school newspaper at the same time, in an era when that was unheard of. During her time at the University of Minnesota, she was on the Student Union Board of Governors and began a lifelong dedication to volunteerism and public service.

Diane's marketing career began at Pillsbury, ultimately leading her to become an expert in qualitative Market Research. She later formed her own companies, continuing to innovate and gaining a national reputation among her Fortune 500 clients.

In 1973 she eloped with the love of her life, Alan Page. This romantic beginning was the foundation of an epic love and partnership fueled in part by their shared commitment to social justice.

The Pages founded the Page Education Foundation in 1988 and Diane worked tirelessly to expand its mission and reach year-after-year, recently celebrating 31 years of creating hope and opportunity for students of color through financial grants and requiring recipients to serve as tutors, mentors and role models for the next generation of students. If Alan was the face of the foundation, Diane was its heart and soul.

Among her greatest gifts was her huge heart and ability to make everyone around her better than what they might otherwise have been. She was both visionary and grounded in common sense, with an appetite for life that was only matched by her keen wit. Most importantly, she knew how to get things done, not just by inspiring others, but by doing the work herself. She was a remarkable woman, and she did it all with a twinkle in her eye and a delight in the ironies and nuances of life.

Her spirit lives on in her husband Alan, children Nina Page, Georgi Page-Smith & Mark Smith, Justin & Christine Page, Kamie Page & Ben Friesen. She cherished her 'grands' Otis & Esther Friesen, Theo & Amelia Page, and her siblings Gerald Sims (Margaret), Patricia Farni (Jeff), Karen Ridgeway and her many nieces, nephews and cousins. She loved her family to pieces.

We will continue to hold Diane's hand even though she has gone away from us. There will be no public service.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made in Diane's honor to the Page Education Foundation: page-ed.org/