Diana Lynn Burlingame, 57, passed away on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, after a fierce 10-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. Her final moments were spent at home in Huntsville, AL in the arms of her beloved daughters and husband.
Born on May 5, 1966, in Gary, Indiana to loving parents, Steve and Carol Zaharias, Diana moved with her family to Gadsden, Alabama in 1976. She attended Emma Sansom High School, where she was active in cheerleading, student government and various other clubs. She graduated in 1984. Diana loved spending time on the Coosa River boating, fishing, sunbathing, and skiing. She loved all things outdoors and had a way of being one of the best at everything she did including mountain biking and snow skiing.
After high school, Diana pursued an Engineering degree at Auburn University. During her time at Auburn, she continued her active lifestyle by becoming a fitness instructor, obtaining her scuba certification, hiking at Chewacla Park, and riding her bicycle around campus. She graduated from Auburn University in 1991 with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and moved to Huntsville to begin her career as an engineer for the Army.
Diana worked in the Aviation and Missile division of the Army her entire career of 33 years. She played a crucial role on the Search, Track, Acquire, Radiate, Eliminate team, supporting air and missile defense capabilities, including Patriot, Sentinel, and the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor. Her job brought her immense joy and allowed her to travel to many places around the world. The contributions she made to the nation’s defense system filled her with immense pride and have made a lasting impact on the lives of the soldiers she served.
Shortly after moving to Huntsville, she fell in love with her husband, Steven Burlingame, and married in 1994. Diana and Steve shared an immediate connection through their love of their alma mater, Auburn University, and their passion for the outdoors. They had two daughters, Jordan and Kaylee, born in 1996 and 1998, respectively.
Diana, Steve, Jordan, and Kaylee were an incredibly close family and loved spending time together. Diana loved her daughters more than anything in the world and was their biggest supporter and best friend. Jordan and Kaylee graduated from Auburn University like their parents and were avid Auburn fans. The Eagle soared high in the Burlingame household.
Diana and Steve did everything for their daughters and were so proud of them. Both girls are in medical school, with Jordan graduating just days after Diana’s passing. They share their mother’s resilience and will continue to make her proud. Diana fought her illness with great strength to be able to witness her daughters’ major accomplishments. Steve battled her illness right there with her and stayed by her side every step of the way, taking care of her and loving her deeply. Diana’s positivity was known by all that met her, and she used it to carry her a long way. She knew she was leaving her daughters and husband in great hands, surrounded and supported by the best family anyone could ask for.
Diana had a special relationship with her brother, George Zaharias, with whom she talked every single day. They had a bond that could never be broken and were always the funniest and brightest people in the room together. George and Diana could spend hours talking to each other and never get bored. Their parents, Steve and Carol Zaharias, raised them to be hardworking, honest, loving people that dedicated their lives to their families and careers.
Diana’s love extended beyond her immediate family to embrace her in-laws, nieces, and nephews with open arms. Each member held a special place in Diana’s heart, and she made sure they knew how much she loved them. She considered her cousins Helene and Beka as her own sisters and cherished every conversation and time spent with them. They made her feel loved and brought her so much joy every day.
Diana spent her entire life surrounded by people she loves and doing what made her happy. Her impact on people’s lives was immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed by all that crossed her path. She was intelligent, funny, spunky, and very beautiful. May her memory be eternal.
