Diane Cates Lavers' Obituary
Diane Cates Lavers, 77, of Hernando, Mississippi, passed away on April 26, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She leaves behind her husband Brent Lavers, her daughters Sarah Lavers Harrison (Matt) and Susan Lavers Carlisle (Chad), her brother Wendell L. Cates Jr. (Frances), four grandchildren Elizabeth and Catherine Harrison (Memphis) and Davis and Max Carlisle (Atlanta), as well as many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and great nephews. She was predeceased by her mother and father, Juanamai and Wendell L. Cates, Sr.
Born and raised in Memphis, she graduated from Hillcrest High School and Memphis State University. On August 7, 1971, she married Brent, who was a newly minted Air Force lieutenant. For the next twenty years they traveled the world courtesy of the Air Force. They lived in California, Louisiana, Alaska, Okinawa, Hawaii, and Nebraska. During that time she became a teacher, and she inspired children in classrooms from Hawaii to Nebraska to Mississippi.
As we grieve her loss, we celebrate her sacrificial love for her family, her contagious joy, and her warm embrace of friendship and family that is her enduring legacy. We ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.
The service is planned for Saturday, May 2, 2026, at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis TN. The visitation will begin at 2:30 p.m. with the memorial service to follow at 3:30 p.m.
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