Diane Herridge

Diane Herridge, 73, passed away on April 22, 2020, at her home in Gatesville after a short fight with bone cancer.  Her husband, Bill, was at her bedside. 

Memorial services will be held at a later date.

Diane was born on Oct. 1, 1946, in Gatesville, Texas, as part of the first wave of Boomer Babies following World War II.  She was welcomed into the world by her parents, Carl and Inez Drake.  She was a member of the Mighty Class of 1965 at Gatesville High School.

Diane’s roots grew deep in Central Texas.  Her great, great grandfather was the first person buried on the Gatesville Cemetery.  Her great, great grandmother was kidnapped as a child by Comanche Indians and was rescued some months later by the newly-formed Texas Rangers.

Following graduation from GHS, Diane enrolled at North Texas State University, and her life took a radical turn when she was introduced by mutual friends to Bill Herridge, for a blind double date.  It only took a few months for her to capture Bill’s heart, and they became engaged shortly before he left college to enlist in the US Air Force.   The couple were married in the base chapel at Keesler Air Force Base, at Biloxi, Miss.   Following Bill’s term of service in Vietnam, he returned to college and their son, Jeff, came along.  Daughter Janna followed five years later.

Bill and Diane were the face of State Farm Insurance in Gatesville for more than 40 years.  During Bill’s time as an engineer officer in the Army Reserve, Diane continued to operate the agency during the many deployments which took Bill all over the world.   Bill used to tell everyone that Diane was the real State Farm agent in Gatesville.

The Herridge's took their children on many wonderful trips.  They served as the official representatives of the State of Texas to the State of South Australia during both states’ official Sesquicentennial year of 1987, and Diane made many friends in Australia.  Other family trips included Christmas in Switzerland, several trips to different areas of Europe, and scuba diving in Mexico.

She was preceded in death by her parents. 

Survivors include her husband, Bill; son, Jeff Herridge and wife, Kristi and grandson, Evan of Austin; daughter, Janna Morgan and husband, Kevin and grandsons, Josh and Cody Morgan of Hewitt.  She is also survived by her sister, Suzanne Vroman and husband, Randy of Gatesville; and by many, many friends made from her school years and throughout her life.

The family wishes to express their heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Tim Maynard and Dr. Singh at Waco’s Baylor Scott & White McClinton Cancer Center.  Special thanks to the angels at Bluebonnet Hospice, whose tender care kept Diane at ease during the final phase of her life.

In lieu of flowers and food, the family requests memorials be made to The Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 26, 1110 E. Main St., Gatesville, Texas, 76528.