Diane Tway Severson
Oct. 26, 1945 - March 15, 2017

Diane T. Severson, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, of Fairfax, VA, died March 15, 2017 in Falls Church, VA.
Diane, the daughter of Duane and Bessie (McCollum) Tway, was born October 26, 1945 in Yonkers, NY while her father was deployed In the Pacific Theater in WWII. Diane was a proud Army-Air Corps and US Air Force "brat"—the daughter of a career military officer, who lived where ever her father was assigned. Those stations included Culver City, CA; Air Force Academy, CO; and Montgomery, AL. She graduated from high school from Air Academy High School at the Academy. Diane then attended and graduated from Stephens College, Colombia, MO with an Associate's Degree. She then took the opportunity to live with her parents while they were stationed as attaches in both Paris, France and Algiers, Algeria, teaching at the English-speaking school in Algiers for diplomatic children. She returned to New York City where she worked as a national makeup and sales representative for Charles of the Ritz. Then she entered and graduated from Huntingdon College, Montgomery, AL with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. Diane worked her way through Huntingdon by parking aircraft and driving gasoline trucks for a private base operation at the Montgomery Regional Airport.
Diane met Terry Severson, formerly of Fessenden and Tioga, ND when he was attending a US Air Force school at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery. They were united in marriage February 20, 1972 at Offutt AFB, NE. Terry was also a career Air Force officer who took her to Hanscom Field, MA; Keesler AFB, MS; Hickam AFB, HI; Norfolk Naval Base, VA; the Washington, DC area several times; Maxwell AFB, AL; Clark AB, the Republic of the Philippines; and finally to Fort Monmouth, NJ. After Terry retired from the Air Force, he worked for several different defense contracting companies that brought them to Eatontown, NJ; Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; then back to Fairfax, VA where they have lived since 2000. She particularly enjoyed their second home in the University Village Townhomes in Grand Forks, ND.
During all those travels Diane worked as a Red Cross safety instructor, real estate officer manager and agent, and fashion consultant. She was always active in their various communities, volunteering her time, talents, and efforts to community and organizational betterment, e.g., President of the Fort Monmouth Officers' Wives Club, church, organizing and leading the largest Neighborhood Watch program in Virginia at the time, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts ensuring that both her sons earned Eagle Scout. She was a board member of the Liberty Republican Women's Club in Fairfax. Diane loved to travel with her mother; they traveled extensively through all seven continents including a Norwegian midnight sun cruise, an African safari, and Antarctica.
Diane, by choice, was first a homemaker, caring and providing for her family. Her family was at the heart of her existence. Raising her sons and supporting Terry. Family was always first and foremost. She embraced her sons' friends and was always at the center of a welcoming home. Nieces and nephews, and their spouses, were equally loved. Diane was always quick to offer help. She become the backbone of the large Severson/Tway extended family. She had a wealth of stories she loved to recount, and always had a saying at the ready, usually complete with a lengthy explanation.
Diane is survived by her husband, Terry; a younger brother, Scot (Nancy), Auburn, AL; two sons, Carl (Danielle), Monroe, NJ, and Eric (Kimberly), Lincroft, NJ; three grandsons, Griffin (Monroe, NJ), Liam (Monroe, NJ), and Orin (Lincroft, NJ; and one granddaughter, June (Lincroft, NJ). She was preceded in death by her parents and her older brother, Duane.
Funeral Services will be held Friday, March 24th at 11:00 a.m. at the First Lutheran Church, Fessenden. Visitation will be held Thursday, March 23rd from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Nelson Funeral Home. Interment will be in the Severson family plot in the Hillside Cemetery of Fessenden.
Condolences can be sent to the family by visiting www.nelsonfuneralhomesnd.com. Memorial donations in Diane's name may be made to the Fisher House Foundation www.fisherhouse.org supporting military and veteran family members.