Diane "Eliza Belle" Johnson Templeton, 84 of Soda Springs, Idaho passed away on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at the Caribou Memorial Living Center.


Diane was born on August 9, 1931 in Inkom, Idaho, the firstborn child of Hyrum and Norrene (Merrell) Johnson, in a small log cabin that had one bedroom, a kitchen and a living room. Dr. Miller delivered Diane with the assistance of Grandma Merrell, her mother's midwife. The log cabin didn't have any running water or indoor plumbing, so the family had to draw water from a spring a quarter mile away and haul it back in buckets.


Her little brother, Richard Glade, was born two years after. At the age of five he caught pneumonia and succumbed to the illness, which was a difficult time for Diane since they had grown close and spent most of their time together.


Diane's immediate family grew with another brother, David, and three sisters, Sheron, Cheryl, and Marcy.


Diane moved from Inkom, Idaho in the 1950s to Butte, Montana. She had given birth to Kathryn, Richard and Patricia in Pocatello, Idaho. Lisa, Diana, Jami and Jim were born in Butte, Montana.


Diane cared for her children by sewing their clothes, cooking for them, and ensuring they were clean and neat. She was also a great cook. Two of her specialties were her homemade potato salad and spaghetti, which her children and grandchildren still prepare today. Diane loved to bake and made homemade doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, bread and many other baked goods. Around Christmas one could find her making fudge, divinity, penuche, peanut brittle, toffee and other types of candies, as well as many types of baked goodies, like treasure bars, fruitcake and poviticia.


Diane taught her children how to sew, embroider, crochet, knit and quilt, which she learned from her mother. She loved spending time in the outdoors fishing and hunting, which she learned from her father at a very young age. She was a good shot and always got her game. She loved to picnic and sightsee, along with camping. Photography became a new hobby later in life and she enjoyed taking pictures of the outdoors.


She loved music and played the piano in the early years of her life. Later in life, she always had music playing in her home and could be found singing or humming with the melody. She loved listening to Elvis Presley and country music, and her favorite hymn was "How Great Thou Art".


Diane worked many jobs over the course of her professional career, including secretarial work at a school, cooking in restaurants, cashier in grocery stores and housekeeping in motels. She was even commissioned by a local restaurant in Helena, Montana to make her delicious cinnamon rolls. She worked as a nurse's aide in a hospital and later worked in a nursing home. She loved taking care of the elderly in their homes and worked for In-Home Health Care, eventually retiring in this field.


Diane also lived in Helena, Montana; Grace, Idaho; and Soda Springs, Idaho.


She lived out her last years at Caribou Memorial Living Center in Soda Springs, Idaho. The staff at the Living Center gave Diane the best care she could have possibly received. The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the entire staff at the Living Center for their care and love for Diane, their generosity and kindness were a blessing during Diane's final days.


A special thank you goes to her niece, Sheri Boldt; and her brother, David Johnson, who also took the time to care for her.


She is survived by sons Richard Jenkins of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Jim Wilcox (Alyssa) of Helena, Montana; daughters Kathy Crawford of Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, Pat (Steve) Tack of Belgrade, Montana, Lisa (Tom) Phillips of Aurora, Colorado, Diana Stevenson (Byron) of Blackfoot, Idaho, Jami Millward of Marysville, Washington; brother David (Gloria) Johnson of Preston, Idaho; sisters Cheryl (Gary) Dahlke of Thompson Falls, Montana, Marcy ( Lawrence) Boldt of Rupert, Idaho; 17 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren with two more on the way; and many nephews and nieces.


She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Richard Glade and sister Sheron Johnson.


Per Diane's wishes she was cremated and no services will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The American Cancer Society.