Diana Robinson
Just because someone had a tough childhood doesn’t mean that is the path that determines the rest of their life. With hard work and resilience, they can change that path. Diana Robinson is the perfect example of this. Diana came from a broken home, born the oldest and only girl to LeRoy “Jack” Dickey and Syliva L. Zollman Schlechty (the 17th of 18 children) in Jeffersonville, Indiana on April 22, 1957. She has four brothers, Richard Dickey, Brian Dickey, Terry Dickey, and Eric Schlechty.
From a young age, Diana experienced trauma and heartache. Her father passed away when she was 17. He was only 43 years old and suffered, like many in his family, with Huntington’s Disease. She watched her mother remarry five times and at least once to an abusive man. Due to the ongoing abuse, Diana realized she needed to leave home. She found herself pregnant at the tender age of 16 and married her husband, Donald “Joe” Robinson and they went on to have two beautiful daughters, Denise and Sarah. “Joe and I had our ups and downs, but we made it.” Joe graduated from Indiana State University and worked on his Master’s Degree. Diana defeated the odds and graduated from high school and then went on to technical school. She found employment with the Indiana Department of Transportation and was a UAW Union Representative as well as one of the first female engineer assistants. She truly was a trailblazer. While working, she always wanted to help others and workers to be treated fairly so she did volunteer work for the union as well as served on the Political Action Committee. As a Union Rep Diana travelled to many cities for her job to help workers all across the country and attend to conferences.
After 31 years of marriage, Joe was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2004. After Joe’s passing, Diana got another chance at happiness when she started dating Bobby Martin, who passed away a few years later. Heartbreak struck again in 2017 when Sarah passed away at the age of 39 and again in 2019 when Denise passed away at the age of 45. Diana sees the beauty of her girls in her four grandkids, James, Alexander (Alec), Kailee and Emmalee, and five great-grandkids, James, Jr., Alector, Beckhets, Jonah, and Charlotte, and treasures them dearly. In 2020, Bobby passed away from cancer, but Diana still chooses to see the bright side of life.
Now that Diana is retired, she enjoys reading, boating, horseback riding, camping, NASCAR, hot rods, and being outdoors. Diana found another companion to share her life with, Tommy Napier. They had known each other and worked together years before. As Diana said, “Happiness comes from within. You have to accept what life brings and find ways to be happy. Other people can’t do it for you.”
When she was working she always wanted to help others and be remembered as a good and kind person. She still wants to see that happen. In her words, “I try to start every day with a goal of being a better person than I was the day before. Being kind is free. So I try to spread as much kindness as I can.” That’s one of the reasons she started a Touch Tomorrow Fund in the Washington County Community Foundation – to spread a little kindness in our community. Forever.
