Diane Louise Kopan

Diane Louise Kopan passed away peacefully at UW Hospital, Madison, WI, in the late afternoon of October 4, 2025, surrounded by family members and a close friend. Born at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison on January 15, 1940, Diane was the precious first-born of Loryn E. and Leona Louise (Thiede) Kopan. She was 85 years old.

Diane is survived by her brothers, Eugene L. Kopan (Linda Fullmer), Gary S. Kopan (Donna), and Gregory R, Kopan (Karen), her nieces, Tiffany (James) Langer, Abigail (Nicholas) Campbell, Nita (Andrew) Sauder, Katherine Kopan, and Leslie Kopan, her nephew, Alexander (Katherine) Kopan, seven grand-nieces, and four grand-nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.

After Diane graduated from high school in Los Angeles, CA, she attended Pepperdine College and then graduated with a BA in literature from the University of Colorado-Boulder. After a period working in Boulder, Diane moved to Cleveland, OH, where she earned her Masters of Social Work at Case Western Reserve University and worked in her degree field in Cleveland. She later moved to Chicago, IL, where she lived for over 45 years and continued to work in her field at Loyola University, Cook County Hospital, and in clinical and private practice settings.

In 2022, due to the onset of Alzheimer's disease, Diane agreed to move from her beloved Chicago to Middleton, WI to be supported by family. She initially lived independently, then in assisted living, and during her last 9 months, in nursing care.

Although Diane never married or had a family of her own, she loved children and her nieces and nephew, on whom she lavished thoughtful, quirky gifts, sloppy smooches and enthusiastic bear hugs as evidence of her affection.

Diane loved the culture and beauty of Chicago and for most of her years there, lived across the street from the Lake Michigan shoreline in Rogers Park. Many hours were spent gazing out the lake-view windows of her small apartment, relishing in the beauty and composing poetry that beautifully expressed life experiences. Diane was an accomplished modern and ballet dancer, traveled Europe alone during her 20s, and enjoyed the ethnic restaurants of the city and the company of her beloved cat, Pookers. She was an avid reader and loved music, art and theater. Diane held strong opinions and frequently shared them without hesitation. She was a political activist and cared deeply about women's issues and social and political justice.

We miss her sorely! A private celebration of Diane's life will be held at a future time. The family is especially grateful for the multiple care givers and medical professionals (especially at Sage Meadow Assisted Living, Nazareth Nursing Home, Brighton Hospice, and UW Hospital Palliative Care) who served Diane so competently and compassionately during her final difficult years. We especially thank family friend, Julie Wilke, for serving Diane as a personal care giver for several challenging months and for forging a very special and mutually beneficial friendship with Diane that endured for the remainder of Diane's days.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests gifts to the Initiative to End Alzheimer’s.