DIANNA LOUISE (O'DELL) ALBIN

Dianna Louise Albin, age 78, of Neoga, passed away peacefully at home at 1:54 p.m. on Monday, May 16, 2022.  Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Friday, May 20, 2022 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with a Celebration of Life following at 7:00 pm. Memorials in her honor may be made to Lincoln Land Hospice at SBLHC. The Swengel-O’Dell Funeral Home in Neoga is handling arrangements.

Dianna was born October 13, 1943, in Kankakee, the oldest daughter of Ammon and Agnes O’Dell.  She married Joseph Albin on December 9, 1962, at the Neoga Grace United Methodist Church.

Dianna is survived by her beloved husband of nearly 60 years, Joe Albin of Neoga; four children, Julie Beabout of Mattoon, Joda Morton and husband Tim of Bement, Jill Hill and husband Alan of Auburn, Alabama, and Jennifer Chlebowski and husband Steve of Bloomington; two sisters, Patricia Ehrhart and husband Bill, Christine Lindsay and husband Patrick; one brother, Dr. Dwight O’Dell and wife Janeth; nine grandchildren, Leslee Pemberton and husband Britt, Lacee Morgan and husband Cole, Makenzie Morton and fiancée Andrew Kaiser, Ethan Morton and fiancée Eva Wilkey, Mike Chlebowski and wife Ollie, Nick Chlebowski, Aubrey Ace Stork, Amelia Ashton Stork and Isaac Chlebowski; and five great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Dianna graduated from Neoga High School and later Lake Land College in 1984 along with her two oldest daughters.  Besides being a homemaker and working as a bookkeeper, she was a member of the American Legion in Neoga, as well as a member of the Eagles and Moose in Mattoon. She has left behind many memories of dune buggy racing with Lincoln Trail Off-Roaders Club, golfing and camping at Timberlake (with a hole-in-one in 1999), bowling league in Charleston, and winters in Florida shelling and boating with Joe at Trails End Fishing Resort.
  
Her legacy will certainly live on with her four daughters, sharing her characteristics of independence (don’t wait for someone else to do it for you, learn how to do it yourself even if that is changing a tire), competitive spirit (there was rarely a card game that she didn’t win), fun-loving (work hard and fast so that you can spend most of your time playing cards), and stubbornness (or always finding a way and not giving up too early in the process).

Dianna’s favorite saying, long before it was popular and on wood signs, was “I LOVE YOU MORE.” While there are many versions now, she meant it like this one by Jennifer Pugh, “When I say I love you more, I don’t mean I love you more than you love me. I mean I love you more than the bad days ahead of us, I love you more than any fight we will ever have. I love you more than the distance between us. I love you more than any obstacle that could try and come between us. I love you the most.”

Dianna will be profoundly missed by all that knew and loved her. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family online at www.swengel-odell.com. 

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