Diane Blakemore

After an eight-year battle, Diane St. John Blakemore succumbed to ovarian cancer on March 24, 2019. She was 77.

Diane was born in Sacramento, and grew up in San Francisco and Antioch, California. She is survived by her husband, Kenneth Eggert; son, John Kenneth Eggert and daughter in law, Darnelle; and three cousins, Donna Blakemore, Marlyn Blakemore and Richard Blakemore; and numerous beloved pets.

After many years working as a medical assistant and medical office manager, Diane retired in 1992 to pursue her passion in quilting and fabric art. She opened a quilt making studio while living in New Mexico, and her work was highly regarded within the vibrant artist community in northern New Mexico. Her quilted pieces were hung in several art galleries and exhibit spaces in and around Santa Fe. Many of her friends have joked that she was born with a needle in her hand.

Diane had traveled to Montana on several occasions, and fell in love with beauty of the area. On a trip to northwest Montana, she and her husband decided to buy a home site on the Kootenai River near Troy. They retired there, and built their home in 2008. She loved the people she came to know in Montana, and became a part of the rich local quilting community.

In addition to her creative abilities, Diane was an exceptionally generous, warm and loving person. Those who came to know her loved her caring and empathetic nature. She was a wise and beautiful woman, and is sorely missed by all who loved her.

As she chose, her ashes will be spread in several locations. A remembrance gathering will be scheduled and announced to friends and relatives later this spring. If you wish to make a gift in her memory, her family asks for contributions to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Cabinet Peaks Hospital Foundation, or the Disabled American Veterans as alternatives.