Diana Lynne “Dianne” McFarling, 61, celebrated her Eternal Victory Thursday, October 14, 2021. She was born on November 22, 1959 to the late Norman H. and Jean Ogle McFarling. Dianne was a graduate of Owensboro High School, received a Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Music Performance Degrees from Kentucky Wesleyan College, graduating Magna Cum Laude and receiving the Music Department Award. She earned the Master of Arts in Communication degree with a concentration in Organizational Communication where she graduated with perfect grades from Western Kentucky University. She served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and later part-time faculty at WKU. She later taught part-time at Owensboro Community and Technical College, Kentucky Wesleyan College and presently at Brescia University. Dianne was a Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Coalition Academy graduate and a Certified Prevention Specialist who served as Chair for the Kentucky Certification Board of Prevention Professionals (KCBPP), Kentucky Prevention Network (KPN) and the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC). She was a certified trainer for Prevention Research Institute, Cooper Clayton Tobacco Cessation, Mental Health First Aid for Adults and Youth and served as Kentucky Division of Behavioral Health Master Trainer. Dianne developed the Statewide Prevention Enhancement Site for Marijuana Prevention. She also was the recipient of the prestigious Robert Straus Award.
Dianne served as the Senior Director of Prevention Services at RiverValley Behavioral Health where she worked to mobilize community, school and college coalitions to pursue effective prevention programming and activities in the seven counties served by RVBH. She developed the Early Intervention Program and served on the Early Intervention Statewide Steering Committee. Dianne served each of the communities as Grants Management Specialist providing project management, writing grant proposals and providing technical support. She chaired the Daviess County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP) and served on the Board of Directors for McLean County Community Coalition/ASAP, Ohio County Together We Care/ ASAP, Henderson County/ASAP, Union County/ASAP, True Blue/ASAP and the Webster County Coalition and ASAP. Dianne served on the Green River Regional Tobaccvo Control Board, Healthy Horizons Steering Committee and on the Child Fatality Review Board. She also served as faculty for the Kentucky Prevention Academy in the area of strategic planning and logic modeling. Dianne was a member of the American Evaluation Association and served as moderator for Community Conversations and sat on the Steering Committee of the Alliance for a Drug-Free Owensboro-Daviess County. She was also an officer of the Owensboro Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition (ORSPC).
Dianne was on the staff at Apollo Heights Baptist Church where she served as Choir Director, Pianist/Keyboardist, Soloist, Sunday School Director and worked in Children’s Ministry. She loved working with children and was a “kid magnet.” She worked in numerous capacities dealing with children and youth in our community throughout the years and loved every minute of it!
Dianne always put everyone else’s needs above her own. She was driven by helping others selflessly. She has been described as “one of the finest, most welcoming and dedicated leaders you could ever meet. She had a heart for service and impacted many communities.”
Dianne was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her sister, Jane McFarling Lambert and her husband Prentice Lambert and brother, Steve McFarling (Belinda Blair), all of Owensboro as well as nieces and nephews, Shelby Hill and husband Travis, Devin Craig and husband Matt all of Paris, TN, and Greyson Lambert of Nashville, TN, cousins Janet Taylor and Rita Brown, both of Clinton, Illinois, sister in law, Pat McFarling of Owensboro, her doggie Henley, parrot Jerry Lee and a host of extended family and friends.
Visitation will be Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. and after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. The service for Dianne will be on Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. and can be viewed at www.davisfuneralhome.com. Burial will be in Pleasant Grove Cemetery.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to the Apollo Heights Baptist Church, children music ministry, 2322 Tamarack Road, Owensboro, KY 42301.