Diane Winchester Balaban
Diane Winchester Balaban, noted professional artist and long-time resident of SaddleBrooke, passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 14, 2024, at the age of 91. Diane was the eldest of five children. She and her four younger brothers were raised on the Winchester family ranch in Morgan, Utah. As a young girl, Diane would backpack with her horse Rex up into the rugged mountains behind her home, part of the Wasatch Mountain range. It was in that setting where she gained a passion for the outdoors life and a deep love for the beauty of the mountainous west, one that would be reflected in her artwork throughout her career.
Diane attended Weber State College in Ogden where she studied art and business management. While pursuing her interest in art, Diane worked for Control Data Corporation in Minneapolis and then La Jolla, Calif., where she met her future husband, John Balaban, a computer engineer.
As a developing artist, Diane studied under Robert E. Wood, Charles Reid, and others. A desire for a lifestyle change brought Diane and John to Park City, Utah, in the late 1970s, where she continued her successful career as an artist and businesswoman. She had served as president of the Park City Artists Association for two years before being asked beginning Jan. 1, 1984, to assume the position of director of the Kimball Art Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the visual arts. Under Diane’s leadership during her eight year tenure, the art center flourished. She took the lead in planning, directing, and presenting the prestigious Park City Arts Festival. She served as a lecturer and judge for various art groups. In the summer months she would lead watercolor workshops, taking groups of students to scenic venues within the national parks in southern Utah.
During her career, Diane exhibited at art institutions in California, Arizona, Utah, and Idaho. Her works included watercolors and oils, as well as metal sculptures. She is featured in Who’s Who in American Art. Upon retirement to SaddleBrooke in 1989, she continued to paint, with many of her works today in SaddleBrooke homes and throughout the country. In retirement, she was an avid tennis player and enjoyed golf and bridge. Summer months were spent touring the southwest in their motorhome.
John passed away early as a result of cancer. Diane later married William Fuller, retired professor at the University of Alaska. Diane and Bill built a home in Hamilton, Mont. Upon Bill’s passing, Diane returned to SaddleBrooke in 2009, moving to a home in the Villas, where she resided up until the time of her death.
Diane is preceded in death by brothers Lyman Gene, Brent, Stephen, and Ward. She is survived by sons Gregory and his wife Roberta and Jeffery and his wife Christine, grandsons Zachary and Nicholas, and two great-grandchildren. She also leaves her long-time companion, Philip Simpson of SaddleBrooke.
Tom Berns
Thomas Francis Berns of Lake Mills, Wis., passed away in Tucson on Saturday morning, May 4 while under hospice care. He was surrounded by all his family, including grandchildren, who traveled from Mesa, Albuquerque, Madison, and Portland to be with him.
Tom would have been 81 years old on June 2, and Wendy and Tom had been married for over 38 years.
Snowbirds from Wisconsin for 10 years, Tom and Wendy loved SaddleBrooke. Tom enjoyed tennis, POP tennis, the hiking club, playing cards, Vera Shury’s Parkinson’s movement exercise classes, and happy hours.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held in Wisconsin in early September.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance at pmdalliance.org, Senior Village at SaddleBrooke at seniorvillage.org, or The Clearing Folk School at theclearing.org/wp.