Diane Jean Kinney

Diane Jean Kinney, (formerly Murphy), died on Friday, January 10, 2025, at 11:03am, at the age of 67 years old. She was surrounded by family and close friends at her home in Beavercreek, Ohio. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Reginald and Bonnie Murphy; her daughter, Jessica Leigh Kinney; and her beloved dog, Max. 

She is survived by her brothers, Thomas Murphy and Gary Murphy; her sister, Susan Baker; her husband, Ronald Kinney; and her children, Kaitlin Kinney and Margaret Kinney.

A Celebration of Life ceremony will be held in Beavercreek, Ohio, when the weather is warmer.

Diane was an educator, a traveler, and was loved by many. She attended Slippery Rock University and Murray State University for her respective Bachelor and Master’s degrees before receiving her PhD in Early Childhood Education and Administration from Boston University in 1988. She held a variety of education positions across the U.S. and Europe before stepping back from teaching to raise her two children. Diane returned to teaching at Evergreen Children’s Center in Beavercreek, Ohio, in 2004, where she finished out her career, made life long friends, and had an impact on the education of hundreds of children. Diane traveled the world until her final month, having just completed a road trip through 12 southwestern U.S. National Parks in October with her husband of 42 years, followed by a holiday adventure to New York City with her husband and children in late November.

She will forever be remembered by her love for her friends and family, and the impact she made wherever she went.

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