Diane Marie Marchant

Diane Marie Marchant unexpectedly passed away at her home in Racine, Wisconsin on Saturday evening, February 10, 2024. She was 64 years old.

Diane was born Diane Marie Peterson on November 29, 1959, in Racine, Wisconsin to parents Elmer and Leona Peterson (Bourgouin). She was sister number six of seven and throughout her life would playfully use the Seven Sisters Danish pastry as a mnemonic device whenever she received the inevitable reaction of “Oh, seven sisters? Wow!”. It may be redundant at this point to mention that she had a Catholic upbringing, but these are the facts. By all accounts Diane was a happy child despite having 5 older siblings; Susan, Delores, Joan, Carol, and Mary Ellen. Youngest sister, Christine was born in 1964.

Diane and her family lost mother Leona to cancer at an early age and she was mostly raised by her sisters into early adulthood. She married Michael Marchant, Sr. in 1981 with whom she brought three sons into the world; Michael, Jr. in 1981, Anthony in 1983, and Nicholas in 1988. Diane was dedicated to her children and often expressed how motherhood was her true calling. Diane and Michael, Sr. were divorced in 1990 leaving her with three mischievous, feral boys to regularly shepherd. Eventually Diane would remarry in 2017 to the love of her life and long time boyfriend, Tommy Ballantyne.

Aside from her calling as a mother, Diane was a city landscaper, hospital receptionist, thrift store manager, volunteer at her local church, and a caretaker for beloved friend Nana Rose Hoefs. Diane was an aunt, Godmother, and a food-providing hero to humans and animals alike. She had the uncanny ability to make instant and lasting friendships with strangers, something that one could equate to an extraordinary form of Earthly magic. Diane was a cancer survivor and managed a litany of medical ailments throughout her later life with courage and grace. She was a lover of blue humor and was endlessly and sometimes inappropriately hilarious. She was known to burst into spontaneous song and dance, much to the chagrin of her children. She was certainly not afraid to embarrass you in front of your “cool” friends. Truly a one-of-a-kind born entertainer and mood-lightener. Diane closely followed her Green Bay Packers football team and was a lover of heavy metal and hard rock music in contradiction to her devout Christian faith. She was a black-belt level card-writer and had a mental index of birthdays and anniversaries that rivals any modern data-collecting algorithm. Her cards were often decorated meticulously by hand and featured stickers and drawings curated to each occasion. She loved to express her creativity and was poetic and warm with her words (or dirty limericks depending on the situation). The loving essence and energy that she radiated will be missed dearly.

Besides her beloved husband, Tommy Ballantyne, Diane was preceded in death by her sisters Susan Furrer (Ray), and Christine Peterson.

She is survived by her oldest son, Michael Marchant, Jr. and his wife Kimberly Weiss. Her adored son and caretaker, Anthony Marchant. Her cherished and youngest son, Nicholas Marchant. Her precious niece and Goddaughter Amanda Kazikowski, husband Micah Kazikowski and their darling children, Christian, Kaylee, and Carsen. Her sisters Delores Lochowitz, Joan Turner (Thomas), Carol Christensen (Chuck), and Mary Ellen Williams. Her many nieces and nephews whom she loved with all her heart. The friends and pets who she considered family.

It was Diane’s wish to be cremated and to forgo a traditional funeral service. There will be a life celebration for Diane planned for the future. The family will reach out with details at that time.