About This Memory Space
This page was created for Catherine Diana Avila's family and friends as a place to remember them, to share stories, and to keep their memory close in everyday life.
It is cared for and added to over time by the people who knew them, and everyone is invited to contribute, whether that is a story, a photo, a few words, or a simple note.
Many families visit places like this not just once, but again and again, especially on quiet days or meaningful anniversaries. This page is here for those moments, wherever you are.
A place to return to when you want to feel close again, to remember a moment, or to leave a few words for others to read. Over time, it grows through the voices of everyone who knew and loved them.
Light a Candle Growing
Light a candle to honor Catherine Diana Avila's memory. Each lighting keeps their memory burning bright for 23 hours.
Candle lit burns 23 hours. Come back and light it again after 23 hours to keep the memory burning.
Limited to 5 lightings per hour to prevent abuse.
Memory Wall Growing
Stories, photos, and memories shared by people who knew Catherine Diana Avila. This is the heart of this space—a collection that grows as more people contribute.
No memories posted yet. Be the first to share a story or memory.
Life & Legacy
Catherine Diana Avila, known simply as Diana, embodied a spirit of boundless adventure, selfless giving, and linguistic passion, leaving an indelible mark on students, family, and communities across continents.
Born in Indianapolis as the first Baby Boomer with striking red hair, Diana grew up in a family shaped by her father's WWII service as an Air Force gunner and her mother's talent for published religious poetry. From childhood, she displayed an innate teaching gift, organizing neighborhood kids into backyard lessons. Her curiosity for languages and cultures propelled her through Howe High School and a full scholarship at Butler University, where she earned a B.A. in Spanish while exploring French and Italian. At just 20, amid the 1960s upheavals, she joined the Peace Corps, training at Stanford and Berkeley amid the hippie era and farmworkers' movements, then served in Peru with USAID. There, she met and married Julio Avila in 1968. The family ventured west in the mid-1970s, spending 42 years in California teaching, earning a real estate license, cultivating avocados, and journeying through Baja Mexico. Even as a teen, she sponsored children in Latin America; later, her generosity extended to people, animals, and environmental efforts. Proud of her Irish roots—earning the playful nickname 'Red Snapper'—Diana upheld a strong Midwest work ethic with part-time jobs alongside her calling. In 2022, family drew her back to Indiana, where she cared for her mother for nearly a decade, mirroring the familial dementia she faced with grace.
A natural educator from elementary school days, Diana taught Spanish and English from kindergarten through college levels in Peru, California, and Indianapolis. At Roncalli High School, she led advanced students on immersive trips to Mexico City and Acapulco. Certified in English as a Second Language in California, she supported immigrants while also immersing in real estate, agriculture, and Peace Corps service that bridged cultures during turbulent times.
Photos of Catherine's Life
Family & Loved Ones
Diana wove an expansive tapestry of kinship that stretched from Indiana roots to Peru and California shores, cherishing her role as the eldest sibling to Victoria Jane Quakenbush, Andrea, Eric Lamb, and Lisa McGary. With husband Julio, she and he adopted nephew Armando Avila, a skilled dentist, and sponsored niece Diana Teverbaugh, also a distinguished dentist, along with niece Sarah Quakenbush, who attended high school in Fallbrook, California, before Navy service. Close bonds flourished with nephews Josh, Benny, John, niece Sarah and her father Jim, as well as Julio's relatives Rosa, Amelia, Victor, Nila, nephew Diego, niece Valentina in Argentina, and niece Naomi in Peru. In Indianapolis, steadfast support came from Diana Teverbaugh's family—husband Scott, children Noha, Isabella, Lucas, parents Larry and Anna, sister Ashley, mother-in-law Nila—plus Armando's wife Natalya and daughter Gabriela, and the full Quakenbush circle. Her unwavering care, much like the love she absorbed and radiated, fortified these connections through decades of shared journeys.
Remembered by Friends & Family
Tributes from across Diana's wide-reaching circles echo her vibrant energy and generous heart, underscoring how her adventurous teaching spirit and familial devotion inspired enduring admiration.
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