Diana Lynn Carter, 78, of Kansas City, MO, passed away on March 2, 2026, at St. Luke’s Hospital on the Plaza.

Born in Springfield, MO on March 2, 1948 to parents Ralph and Willeta Carter, Diana was the oldest of three daughters.

She graduated from Northeast High School in Kansas City. While raising her only son, Todd, she began studying biology and philosophy at UMKC in 1975, fell in love with learning, and finally earned her BA in Philosophy in 1989.

Continuing her time at UMKC, she worked at the Institute for Human Development, where she was a crucial part of projects that improved the lives of at-risk teens and mothers.

She also worked at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the UMKC Medical School, where her friendliness, as well as her intelligence benefited the projects she worked on.

Diana was particularly happy participating in a philosophy workshop given by Eliseo Fernandez, the head reference librarian of the Linda Hall Library. For more than seven years, she and other fellow students/thinkers joined Fernandez in discussing the works and ideas of American philosopher Charles Peirce.

After retiring, she returned to her love of art, frequently attending drawing and painting workshops.

She is survived by her son, Todd Norris and his wife Nita; her sisters Karen Spaeth and Nancy O’Dell, ex-spouses Steve Norris and Don Martin, as well as nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, March 29th at 2pm at the Merriam Community Center, 6040 Slater Street, Merriam, Kansas 66202. It will be held in the Campbell Room.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Linda Hall Library, a place close to Diana’s heart.  https://www.lindahall.org/support/give-now/