Diana L. Massey's Obituary
Diana Leigh (Surma) Massey, 37, passed away on Tuesday, May 7 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tacoma, Washington after living with cancer and the treatments for 5 years.
Diana was born on August 14, 1986 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, the daughter of Gregory Surma and Laura Stock. She was a talented and creative artist and attended The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Diana always wanted to go away to college and went on to attend Hunter College in New York City, were she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Studio Art in June 2010. After graduation, her sense of adventure and exploration led her to spend the summer in Israel. It was an experience she treasured.
Diana found her place in the world when she moved to Tacoma, Washington late in 2012. She got involved in the art community working on and creating murals, displays and pop up events while also working in various administrative roles with Goodwill Industries. She started her work with the City of Tacoma as a Continuous Improvement Analyst in May of 2018. She loved her work and excelled at it but never stopped exploring her creativity. She was always doing something new.
Diana met the love of her life, Ian Massey, in May of 2016 when a mutual friend extended a last minute invite to a Memorial Day BBQ. They were married on May 27, 2022. She loved her life with Ian and the home they made with their dog, Blue.
Diana had a big heart and was extremely thoughtful to everyone around her. She was very generous and always happy to talk to anyone! She loved listening to music, weekends at the beach, exploring new places in or out of nature, reading, drinking tea and gardening. She was also fearless, independent, strong-willed and stubborn in all the best ways. Her strength helped her greatly as she went through years of cancer treatment.
Diana is survived by her husband, Ian as well as her parents, step-parents, brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and many other family members. She was dearly loved by her family and many friends and will be missed greatly.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
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