Diane Pearson

Diane Marie Pearson, née Darcy, was born February 15, 1949, in Anaconda, Montana to Edward L. Darcy (a welder for the Anaconda Copper Mining Company) and Marjorie Darcy (a psychiatric nurse at the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs). She had an older brother, Edward F. Darcy and two half-siblings, Ron and Marlene Darcy, from her father’s previous marriage. Diane graduated from Anaconda’s Central High in 1967.

Diane attended business school in Billings and relocated in 1969 to Prince George’s County to work with the FBI in Washington, D.C. At that time, the FBI recruited heavily in the Appalachians and Rockies following the belief of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover that no one from these regions ever posed an FBI security risk. She worked in a stenographer-pool, and soon transferred to the role of secretary at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in their Firearms Division and later in the Explosives Division. In 1971, she married her husband, Glenn (Ed), a space enthusiast and model rocket hobbyist who worked at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Diane gave birth to their son, Cyrus, in 1975. In 1977, she learned about a secretarial opportunity at the newly opened Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum from a family friend – also a model rocket enthusiast. Diane was hired as secretary for the Aeronautics and Astronautics Division of the then year-old museum, and later, after museum reorganization, the Astronautics Division. In 1979, Diane gave birth to their daughter, Kelly.

Diane moved to the museum’s front office becoming the secretary for the director and assistant director (General John R. Daily and Donald S. Lopez, Sr.). The front office was a “cool job” but Diane missed interactions with more people and transferred to the museum’s Exhibits Department as an exhibit coordinator. There she worked with exhibit designers, editors, lighting experts and all those responsible for bringing a new exhibit into fruition. After forty-years of government service, Diane took an offered buy-out and retired in January, 2010. She said she did not miss working and spent the next fourteen years going to the movies, dining out and relaxing with family. Following progressive heart failure she died peacefully March 4, 2025, with family bedside.

Diane was predeceased by her parents and brother, Ed, of Kennewick, WA. She is survived by the aforementioned half-siblings; her husband (of 53 years) Glenn E. Pearson, Jr. of Seabrook, MD; their son Cyrus (wife-Christina) Pearson of Henrico, VA; their daughter, Kelly Pearson of Seabrook; and five grandchildren: (Kelly’s) Abrielle Pearson, Jillian Pearson, and Aaron Stansberry all of Seabrook; and (Cyrus’) Viviana Cuevas Pearson and Leonel Cuevas Pearson of Henrico.

Diane Pearson chose to be cremated. A Remembrance Celebration will take place on Thursday, April 17th, at Gasch’s Funeral Home in Hyattsville, MD at 11 am with repast at Gasch’s to follow.