Diana Kaye Obe
1945-2025
Although our Pen Sister Diana Obe had not been able to attend meetings for a few years, whenever her tall, serene, and regal figure graced the room, we were always so happy. And I distinctly remember the lovely streaks of lavender in her hair!
Diana was a poet and a painter who preferred acrylic, charcoal, and especially oils “because of the depths of the colors and my admiration of the old masters,” as she explained in “Nobis: Making Others See.” In that volume, she also revealed that she’d been making art since she was a child “molding images in the mud,” and that in high school she had worked in the shop of a well-known bronze and taxidermy artist.
Born in Rawlins, Wyoming, Diana held various offices such as deputy clerk of court for the city of Rawlins, guardian ad litem for Lutheran Services, and administrative assistant for Globe Missionary Evangelism. In Pensacola, her paintings could be found on the walls of Blue Morning Gallery and Artel, and she was a devoted branch member.
In her family’s tribute, we read that “more than her accomplishments, Diana will be remembered for her extraordinary character, a deeply loving and kind-hearted individual possessing incredible strength tempered by an abundance of gentleness and grace.” Those of us who attended the NLAPW Biennial Conference in Des Moines in 2018 recall what fun we all had, especially cavorting in the city’s beautiful sculpture garden.
It was our pleasure to have known such a lovely person as Diana Obe.
– Submitted by Karen Morris
High Places or “My Woods”
By Diana Kaye Obe
There are places, new rivers
Cut so deeply and suddenly in the valleys of
The mountains of my heart
That can never be explored
For lack of human time.
Dreaming dreams in rhyme
Bare feet touching earth
Hands reaching to the sky
Green and verdant
Sanctuaries of Spirit Bears
In the quiet under the
Redwoods of my height
Where sun rays force their ways
Through lofty green-gold roofs
Whispering softly treaded
By delicate deer hooves
Antlers, hardened like marble
Both manifest the same
Large eyes stare deep pools
Humans could never fathom
Pat Ellson
It is with a sad heart that I share that one of our longtime friends and newer Pen Women members has recently made her transition. Whenever I think of Pat Ellson, I fondly remember a very compassionate, caring, giving, multitalented creative leader. In Pen Women, we’ve known her for mostly her beautiful oil paintings. In fact, “The Pen Woman” magazine Spring 2025 issue spotlighted her “Gossiping Macaws” painting (page 8).
Pat had a long, creative life. Prior to moving to South Florida, she was a florist and owner of Floral Gems.
— Submitted by Phoenix Marks