Diann L. Spannaus Obituary (1951 - 2019)

Diann L. Spannaus, 67, of Decatur, passed away Monday, April 22, 2019 in Decatur Memorial Hospital. Diann was born September 21, 1951 in Decatur, Illinois, the daughter of Darrell and Mary Louise (Mabry) Buckner. She attended Stephen Decatur High School and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Sangamon State University. Diann gave her life to Christ at an early age and was a longtime member of New Salem Baptist Church. She grew up at New Salem and often told stories of her mother's, aunt's, and uncles' roles in the church. She was most recently active in the Missionary Society and Vacation Bible School at New Salem. Diann's passion was to help others from the very beginning of her career. She began her career in nursing. She was then employed by the YWCA preschool program. Throughout her career, she held positions at the Boys and Girls Club of Decatur, Decatur Mental Health Center, High Risk Infancy Registry of Macon County, Lincoln Developmental Center, Adolph Meyer Mental Health Center, GUM Park, Decatur Park District, Webster-Cantrell Hall, and worked as a sign language interpreter at Grace United Methodist Church. Two positions in her latter career stand out. In the late eighties, she was a truancy counselor for the Macon County Office of Education, covering Roosevelt Middle School, MacArthur High School, and many rural schools. In the 2000s, she was the program coordinator for the TRIO programs for disadvantaged students at Richland Community College. Life typically brings us back where we began, and this was the case with Diann. She returned to teaching the very youngest and vulnerable at the end of her career. Volunteering at the YMCA Childcare and Preschool and BabyTALK Early Head Start program brought her unmeasurable joy. She carried the babies, toddlers, parents, and coworkers in her heart every day. In addition to the children she touched in her daily work, she also served many children as a Youth Advocate and foster mother. More so, her door was always open to anyone. Countless neighbors, students, and friends knew her as "Mama Spannaus" and would often open her (unlocked) door, sit on the couch, and receive advice or a listening ear. Sometimes they'd stay a couple hours, an entire day, or, in some cases, months. Diann enjoyed traveling and seeing the world. Always one to make friendly conversation, Diann loved telling of her new friends she made while traveling. Her favorite recent trip was to Hong Kong with her niece to visit her son Ben, and she unsurprisingly immediately formed a friendship with a couple of the dialysis nurses. Diann is survived by her children Benjamin Spannaus, Stephanie Spannaus Hebron, and Nicholas (Chitarra) Spannaus, siblings Brenda D. Buckner, Darrell Buckner, and Clarence (Jackie) Buckner, grandchildren Brandon Hebron, Savannah Spannaus, Nicholas Spannaus Jr., K'Sea Spannaus, Olivia Hebron, Andrew Hebron, Naudia Spannaus, a host of foster children, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She is also survived by her special cousin, Brian Bond, and special daughters Abosede Odunsi and Mariel Bai. Diann is preceded in death by her parents, sister Anita L. Buckner, and brother Dennis Buckner. Her family would like to thank Jin Eva Tucker and the staff at McKinley Court and Fairhaven nursing homes for their caring and kindness. The staff at Decatur Memorial and St. Mary's hospitals always showed professionalism and compassion. Finally, our mom will miss the staff at DaVita Dialysis on Wood Street tremendously. We are grateful to them as well. Diann's life was a true example of helping life's most vulnerable. She was a selfless servant to the community and never met a child that couldn't be encouraged, helped, and, most importantly, valued. Our mom was everyone's mom. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to BabyTALK Early Headstart (710 W Macon St, Decatur, IL 62522), time spent serving in the community in her memory, or by simply paying it forward those who need or want a helping hand.