Diane Wahto

Diane Wahto

Diane Wahto died September 16, 2020, at the age of 80 of complications following a recent stroke. Donations in Diane’s memory may be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (www.aspca.org).

Lois Diane Wahto was born January 24, 1940, in Joplin, Missouri, to Richard Daniels and Lois (née Sansocie) Daniels. She married Curt Bohling shortly after graduating high school and with him had three children, Curt, Chris, and Geoff. The family relocated frequently, but Diane always said her happiest memories of that time were the years spent in the small town of Decatur, Michigan. After her divorce, Diane returned to school and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Western Michigan University and Pittsburgh State University, respectively. She taught high school English and journalism classes for nine years in Winfield, Kansas. There she met Patrick Roche, whom she married in 1996.

In 1985, Diane received a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Wichita State University, and she and Pat remained in Wichita the rest of her days. While she took great joy in teaching English composition at Butler State Community College (El Dorado, KS) until her retirement in 2009, Diane’s passion was poetry. She wrote hundreds of poems over the years, publishing in Midwest Quarterly and The Quill, among other journals. Her poetry has won several prizes, including the American Academy of Poets Award. In 2018 she published her first poetry anthology, The Sad Joy of Leaving (Blue Cedar Press), and followed it with First, the Reflection (Spartan Press: 2019). She served as president of the Kansas Authors Club District 5 chapter and on the Kansas Authors Club state board.

But perhaps Diane’s best-known writings were her published letters to the editors of various newspapers, including more than twenty years of contributions to The Wichita Eagle. Outspoken, unflinching, and always on the side of justice, Diane championed liberal causes her entire life. She served as Sedgwick County Democratic Central Committee committeewoman, the secretary of Kansas' Fourth District Democrats, and board chair of the Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas. Her steady work supporting Dr. George Tiller and the pro-choice movement was evidenced in years of Saturday mornings spent volunteering on the clinic support team. While she once described herself as a painfully shy child, she shed that image to champion the rights of women, minorities, and anyone who could not speak for themselves. An avid animal lover, she could never resist a dog in need of a home, and she gave generously to animal welfare causes.

Diane brought the same passion to her many hobbies. She read widely and astutely but always enjoyed a good murder mystery above all. She never met a crossword puzzle she couldn’t crack and loved word games of all kinds. Diane spent many evenings with her favorite movies and
crime shows, including Les Misérables and the many permutations of Law & Order. She enjoyed visiting with her children and grandchildren, dining out with friends, and participating in several writing groups. But perhaps her happiest times were the simplest a Sunday morning at home with the newspaper and her coffee, followed by a ramble in the park with husband Pat and Annie, Diane’s most recent rescue dog.

Diane leaves behind a vast number of loving friends and family, most notably her husband, Patrick Roche of Wichita. She is survived by her children, James Curt (and spouse Gayle) Bohling of Washington, DC; Christopher Bohling (and Claire Caterer) of Shawnee, KS; and Geoffrey (and
Gwen) Bohling of Lawrence, KS. Her grandchildren Chris (and Kelly) Bohling; Joyce (and Spencer) Vore; Melanie Bohling; Calista Bohling; and Ginny Bohling were her great pride and joy. She is also survived by her brothers, Larry Daniels (and Barbara Lundin) of Dodge City, KS,
and Paul (and Peggy) Daniels of Pflugerville, TX, along with many beloved nieces and nephews. All of us will miss her quick wit, her lovely smile, her way with words, and her devotion to peace and social justice.

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