Diana Fountain Wisdom was born on December 31, 1956 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and passed away on August 11, 2023, at her home in Houston, Texas, after a brief, brutal fight against cancer. She was sixty-six years old.
She is survived by her father Gerald Fountain, who gave her excellent cheekbones, prodigious mathematical and problem-solving skills, and a formidable toughness she cultivated and turned into a gentle tenacity and independence; his wife, Linda, who mothered her and loved her and evenly matched her affection for the imperfect animals in their lives; by her sister Gail and brothers Randy and Stan, who, as siblings are wont to do, spurred along the development of the resilience and empathy that she would display her entire life. She is preceded in death by her mother Mary Kathryn Fountain, from whom she inherited her beauty, gracefulness, and love for deep theology. She also is preceded in death by five dogs of varying excellence who are undoubtedly all vying for her attention and ready to reestablish their complete and unwavering loyalty to her now that they are once again reunited.
She is survived, as well, by her husband Jack, her partner in all things. Once, in college, someone told her how lucky she was to be dating Jack—and she was—but at the same
She is survived by her (unofficially) adopted daughter, Nsen Buo, by her sons-in law, Holden Hollingsworth and Joshua Whatley, who are better men because of her, and by her grandchildren Margaux and Townes Whatley, whose lives she has prayed for, whose hands she has held, whose bodies she’s cradled and bathed, whose hair she’s brushed and trimmed and braided; who she loved completely, immensely, indulgently, joyfully; who will miss her forever.
She is survived, too, by her daughters Alison and Claire, who are perhaps the only two creatures more loyal to her than the five aforementioned dogs. She is survived by the ways she has shaped her daughters: how she has guided them in their faith, in their relationships, in their marriages. How to both appreciate and deploy a comedically well-executed f-bomb, how to be gracious and loving to the people they’d actually like to tell to #$%^ off.
She is survived by an incredible circle of friends, whose lives she has changed: Bible study friends, neighbor friends, church friends, dog-walking friends, Young Life friends. No one has been more adored for more good reasons than Diana Wisdom.
She is greeted in heaven by her savior Jesus Christ, whose relationship has been the true joy in her life, whose story she has proclaimed through her own, whose faithfulness and grace and promises meant that she was never afraid to die. We will miss her every day until we are reunited in heaven with her and those five dogs.
A memorial service for Diana will be held at Grace Bible Church, located at 6325 Hurst Street, on September 22, 2023 at 10 am. In remembrance of Diana, her family asks that any charitable donations be made to Stratford-Westside Young Life, East Houston Young Life, and Undying Hope, a ministry that seeks to educate, equip, and empower the people of South Sudan.
Grace Bible Church
Diana Fountain Wisdom was born on December 31, 1956 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and passed away on August 11, 2023, at her home in Houston, Texas, after a brief, brutal fight against cancer. She was sixty-six years old.
She is survived by her father Gerald Fountain, who gave her excellent cheekbones, prodigious mathematical and problem-solving skills, and a formidable toughness she cultivated and turned into a gentle tenacity and independence; his wife, Linda, who mothered her and loved her and evenly matched her affection for the imperfect animals in their lives; by her sister Gail and brothers Randy and Stan, who, as siblings are wont to do, spurred along the development of the resilience and empathy that she would display her entire life. She is preceded in death by her mother Mary Kathryn Fountain, from whom she inherited her beauty, gracefulness, and love for deep theology. She also is preceded in death by five dogs of varying excellence who are undoubtedly all vying for her attention and ready to reestablish their complete and unwavering loyalty to her now that they are once again reunited.
She is survived, as well, by her husband Jack, her partner in all things. Once, in college, someone told her how lucky she was to be dating Jack—and she was—but at the same
time she wondered, wasn’t he lucky too to be dating her? Yes, he was. The luckiest. And he knew it. Everything he has done in the last 48 years of his life—the degrees he earned, his professional endeavors in law enforcement, ministry and law, the houses and land he bought, the rocks he climbed and the rocks he threw, the jokes he made, the stupid amount of weight he hoisted, and every pull up and push up he performed —all these things were done in a never-ending effort to show off for this very pretty, very incredible girl. She is also survived by her giant golden retriever, Harry, whose feelings would be hurt if he was not included.
She is survived by her (unofficially) adopted daughter, Nsen Buo, by her sons-in law, Holden Hollingsworth and Joshua Whatley, who are better men because of her, and by her grandchildren Margaux and Townes Whatley, whose lives she has prayed for, whose hands she has held, whose bodies she’s cradled and bathed, whose hair she’s brushed and trimmed and braided; who she loved completely, immensely, indulgently, joyfully; who will miss her forever.
She is survived, too, by her daughters Alison and Claire, who are perhaps the only two creatures more loyal to her than the five aforementioned dogs. She is survived by the ways she has shaped her daughters: how she has guided them in their faith, in their relationships, in their marriages. How to both appreciate and deploy a comedically well-executed f-bomb, how to be gracious and loving to the people they’d actually like to tell to #$%^ off.
She is survived by an incredible circle of friends, whose lives she has changed: Bible study friends, neighbor friends, church friends, dog-walking friends, Young Life friends. No one has been more adored for more good reasons than Diana Wisdom.
She is greeted in heaven by her savior Jesus Christ, whose relationship has been the true joy in her life, whose story she has proclaimed through her own, whose faithfulness and grace and promises meant that she was never afraid to die. We will miss her every day until we are reunited in heaven with her and those five dogs.
A memorial service for Diana will be held at Grace Bible Church, located at 6325 Hurst Street, on September 22, 2023 at 10 am. In remembrance of Diana, her family asks that any charitable donations be made to Stratford-Westside Young Life, East Houston Young Life, and Undying Hope, a ministry that seeks to educate, equip, and empower the people of South Sudan.
My deepest sympathy to Diana’s family. Truly, her soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God, her Savior. I am so sorry for the pain and grieving you are suffering.
After reading the most incredible, brilliant obituary of Diana, all I have left to say is Praise God from whom all blessings flow and Diana, all of your believer friends will see you again one day.
After reading the most incredible, brilliant obituary of Diana, all I have left to say is Praise God from whom all blessings flow and Diana, all of your believer friends will see you again one day.
If I be the first of us to die,
Let grief not blacken long your sky.
Be bold yet modest in your grieving.
There is a change but not a leaving.
For just as death is part of life,
The dead live on forever in the living.
And all the gathered riches of our journey,
The moments shared, the mysteries explored,
The steady layering of intimacy stored,
The things that made us laugh or weep or sing,
The joy of sunlit snow or first unfurling of the spring,
The wordless language of look and touch,
The knowing,
Each giving and each taking,
These are not flowers that fade,
Nor trees that fall and crumble,
Nor are we stone,
For even stone cannot the wind and rain withstand
And mighty mountain peaks in time reduce to sand.
What we were, we are.
What we had, we have.
A conjoined past imperishably present.
So when you walk the wood where once we walked together
And scan in vain the dappled bank beside you for my shadow,
Or pause where we always did upon the hill to gaze across the land,
And spotting something, reach by habit for my hand,
And finding none, feel sorrow start to steal upon you,
Be still.
Close your eyes.
Breathe.
Listen for my footfall in your heart.
I am not gone but merely walk within you.
Nicholas Evans
A creator who has the wisdom and power to design the wonders of nature is surely great enough to be trusted with our inexpressible, unexplainable pain and suffering. Job proclaimed, "I know that you can do all things". So we can trust that kind of God – no matter what.
On behalf of my entire family, I want to thank you and your staff for your excellent and caring service.
Thank you for all you did to make our mother's funeral special, dignified, and easy for us.
I just can't express to you enough how much we appreciated the kindness and professionalism my family experienced with you and your staff.
Thank you for treating my beloved mother with honor and respect all throughout the process.
Our family will be forever grateful to the owner and staff at Beresford Funeral Services for the excellent services they provided to our family upon the death of our loved one. Everything went smoothly. The planning was easy with everything needed for the funeral provided on sight at reasonable prices with no pressure to spend more than planned. They were flexible with our personal plans, very kind, and considerate from beginning to end. We would definitely recommend Beresford Funeral Services to anyone in need of funeral services.
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