Obituary of Diane E Naas

Diane Naas, Age 88, of Edina, transitioned on January 15, 2020. Our glorious mother led an amazing life and was a true example of how to live and love graciously. She was spiritual, courageous, very curious, and had quite a quest for knowledge. Some have said she was an old soul, and people who knew her well also thought she was a bit sassy, determined and outspoken.

Born Diane Miller in 1931 in Rochester, Minnesota, she was raised in Waseca where she graduated as class valedictorian. She married John Naas in 1952 and they raised seven children. Diane enjoyed golfing and bowling. Always the tireless crusader, Diane worked to improve educational opportunities for children with dyslexia at both the school district and state level. After acknowledging her alcoholism and beginning the journey of recovery, she obtained her counseling certificate at the University of Minnesota.

As a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and Certified Life Coach, Diane helped hundreds of people recover from alcohol and substance abuse. Diane owned and operated her company, Professional Recovery Assistance (PRA), for over 40 years and focused on interventions and continuing recovery support for physicians, lawyers, accountants, dentists, and other professionals. Recently, she was very proud to participate in creating the Nurses Peer Support Network.

With her 46 years of sobriety and participation in many AA groups, she inspired countless others to improve their lives through the 12-step programs and trusting her Higher Power.

Diane was a volunteer at heart. She served at H.E.A.R.T. (Help Enable Alcoholics/Addicts Receive Treatment) as President (twice) and on their Board of Directors for over 19 years; Sobriety High School with 13 years on the Board of Directors and two-time President; and six years on the Board of Directors of Wayside Women’s Treatment Center. An article about her published in the Hazelden Voice (2003, volume 8, issue 1, page 7) referred to her professional duties as keeping her on call 24/7, yet her “volunteer work in the field reads like a second career” because of the hours she devoted to the recovery organizations. She donated counseling sessions to women in halfway homes and created opportunities for them to attend meetings.

In 2006, Diane was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award for her work at H.E.A.R.T. In 2011, and she was privileged to receive the Amethyst Award from the National Youth Recovery organization (formerly Sobriety High). Two years ago, she was honored by the Nurses Peer Support Network and the other professionals that she had served for her contributions.

She was also very spiritual and active in her church.

As many of you know, words were very important to her. For instance, she wasn’t afraid of death but requested that the words death or passing not be used to describe her transition. Positive thoughts and universal love were equally important. She scolded her kids and visitors if they used any negative self-talk.

Her other great passion was reading. Diane belonged to more than one book club, owned thousands of books and loved to give them away. She could remember exact passages and loved how they elicited memories and fed her soul and mind.

Even more than her treasured books, Diane loved her friends and family. She would often say she was an introvert in most situations, but all of you know she was truly an extrovert while in her favorite settings (meetings and fellowship) and certainly when she was around all of you. We teased her that she was “holding court” in her new apartment but she was invigorated by all the visitors. It is unbelievably moving to read all the tributes to her on CaringBridge and Facebook. Even now, her children are learning new things about her life through your stories, phone calls, and texts. Thank you for sharing with us.

Diane was preceded in death by her son Craig, stepson Gary, parents, brothers, and a granddaughter. Survived by children Suzanne (Ron) Manske, Gail Naas, Jennifer Naas (Glen Unruh), Richard Naas, and Kristine (Theo) Ford, 9 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

We thank the truly incredible Allina Home Hospice team of nurses, aides, massage therapist, social worker, and chaplain. They treated Diane as the unique individual she was and honored her wishes at every visit.

So many of Diane’s friends helped in countless ways and have the family’s heartfelt thanks. To those of you who filled her soul at AA meetings, shared books, poetry, and quotes, thank you. To the spiritual guides, pastors and shamans in her life, thank you. To those of you who helped at her bedside, did her nails, or brought food, thank you. To those who played chauffeur the past three years, thank you. We appreciate the joy and love all her friends and visitors brought her. She truly loved you all.

The Celebration of Life for Diane will be on Friday, January 24, 2020, at 2:00 pm at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church (5025 Knox Avenue South, Minneapolis), followed by a gathering in the church’s Fellowship Hall. Please come share your stories about Diane with her family and friends. Visitation will be one hour prior.

Memorials are preferred to the Retreat Center (attention: Debbie Johnson, 1221 Wayzata Blvd E, Wayzata, MN 55391), and the Nurses Peer Support Network (attention: Marie Manthey or Jim Lewis, 1300 Godward Street NE, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55413).