Eleanor Diana Mabey

June 15, 1942 - December 20, 2018

The loving family of Diana Mabey announces her passing on December 20, 2018 after a three-year battle with a rare cancer. A Santa Barbara, California, native, Diana was born in June of 1942 to Eleanor Lucile and Albert Jerome Cottam. She leaves behind her adoring husband of 47 years, David, as well as two beloved daughters, Amberley (Adrian Kropp) of Colorado and Jendalyn (Curtis Nye) of Utah, and eight grandchildren: Judson, Emerson, Trevor, Evamarie, Schuyler, Clayton, Adalyn, and Linnea. She is also survived by her siblings, Albert Cottam (Jenny), Ken Cottam (Susie), Rosemary Beaver, and John Cottam (Pam). Diana attended Santa Barbara City College, as well as earned a BA in Art and English Education at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Upon graduation, she and David moved to Yorktown Heights, New York, where they have lived for forty years. Diana continued her education by completing a Master's Degree in Special Education, with President's Honors, at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. Diana spent the majority of her working life teaching teenagers with special needs. She taught art at Spanish Fork Middle School in Utah, served as a teaching assistant at Lakeland Alternative High School in New York and as a Special Education English teacher at Daytop Village Secondary School in Hartsdale, New York. Diana was a devoted member of the Yorktown Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where she served in many roles over the years. She also gave several years of community service as a Girl Scout Troop Leader. Diana will be remembered for her love of nature and learning, appreciation of the fine arts, hospitality, and adventurous spirit. One of her favorite things was to travel to visit her many relatives and to spend time in her hometown of Santa Barbara with her husband. She was dearly loved by her family, friends, and former students, whose lives she touched and enhanced. Funeral arrangements are by Yorktown Funeral Home. All are invited to attend a Memorial Service to be held on Saturday, December 29th. There will be a reception from 10 am-10:45 am and then a memorial service from 11 am -12 pm at the Latter-day Saint chapel located at 801 Kitchawan Road, Ossining, New York, 10562. If desired, donations can be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Medical Center of New York in lieu of flowers. Diana's family would like to express heartfelt thanks to the many kind friends, church members, and health care workers who offered her love and support.