Murray High School Class of 1966   •   St. Paul Minnesota   •   www.murraypilots1966.org  •  info@murraypilots1966.org

10/3/1948 –  8/1/2004

from Dan Fetsco, Diane’s son (2016):

My mother, Diane, and father, Pete, were married on June 12, 1970, in Laramie, Wyoming. Not long after that they moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, where I was born in 1972. We lived in Sheridan until 1986, at which time we moved to Cheyenne, where my mother remained until she passed in 2004.

My mother obtained her bachelors degree in journalism and communications in 1983 from the University of Wyoming. She worked at the Sheridan Press and the Veteran's Administration in both Sheridan and Cheyenne during her working career. She was happiest in the mountains, and the Big Horns above Sheridan were her favorite spot. She also enjoyed softball and attending my school and sporting events.

I am a lawyer/administrator, now 44 years old, and live in Cheyenne, where I am the Executive Director of the Wyoming Board of Parole. I have a 10-year-old son, Jackson, whom my mother never met. He is beginning the fifth grade this fall and enjoys school, soccer, taekwondo, and golf. 

from Kevin Bohnenblust, Diane’s brother (2017):

In August 1966, Diane moved with her family from St. Paul, across the St. Croix River to River Falls, Wisconsin, where her father had his first teaching job at what was then known as Wisconsin State University – River Falls. Diane enrolled in college there, but when her father had the opportunity to move the family back to Laramie, Wyoming, a year later, she went with them.

Diane enrolled in the University of Wyoming, starting as an English major, but then changing to journalism. She worked on the student newspaper and interned two summers at the Sheridan (WY) Press, first as a reporter, then in advertising. She met fellow journalism major Pete Fetsco at UW, and they were married on June 12, 1970. They soon moved to Sheridan, where Pete was a reporter for the Press, and Diane worked again in advertising.

Diane and Pete welcomed their son, Dan, into the world in 1972. They continued to live in Sheridan, and in 1974 together ran a campaign in the Wyoming gubernatorial primary. Their candidate, Malcolm Wallop, was considered a long-shot in a four-way primary, but nearly pulled off a victory. That near-miss set the stage for him to successfully challenge an incumbent U.S. Senator two years later. While the 1974 gubernatorial campaign was their only full-time foray into politics, Diane and Pete continued to be actively involved, supporting candidates at the local and state levels.

Diane, Pete and Dan loved living in Sheridan, and considered the Big Horn Mountains to be their own. They spent many summer weekends camping and fishing at favorite locations, especially when Pete later went to work for the U.S. Forest Service as a seasonal employee. Diane was a great “swim Mom” when Dan joined the youth swim team, covering many miles to support Dan and his teammates. Later, when Dan played junior high and high school football, Diane and Pete were there to support him.

In 1982, Diane and Dan moved to Laramie so she could complete the bachelor’s degree she put on hold when she and Pete married. Diane and Dan then returned to Sheridan, but within a couple of years the whole family moved to Cheyenne to be close to Pete’s family there, and Diane’s family in Laramie. Eventually Dan followed in his parents’ footsteps, attending the University of Wyoming, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. Three years later, he graduated from law school at the University of Denver. Dan has worked in the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, and is currently the Executive Director of the Wyoming Board of Parole.

Diane was very proud when Dan married Heather, and would have been even more proud when they had their son, Jackson. Unfortunately, she died in Cheyenne on August 1, 2004, after a short illness, and before Heather and Dan were expecting.

Diane was always highly creative, whether developing radio or print ads to help local businesses, cooking new dishes, decorating their home, or exploring a new hobby or craft. She had fond memories of Murray High School and her friends there, and loved growing up in St. Paul.