Diane Swafford Collins Jarvis
Diane Swafford Collins Jarvis,70, went onto her next adventure on September 27, 2023, after a short battle with breast cancer.
She was preceded in death by her son, Joshua Collins and parents, John and Irene Swafford.
She is survived by her husband, Albert Jarvis, her daughter, Heather Montgomery (JayEvan), her sister, Reita Jackson, her incredible, independent, quirky grandbabies, Hunter, Gannon and Amelia and her beloved maniac cat, Dash.
Diane exemplified the phrase “build a longer table” and welcomed anyone who needed a place to land. So, in addition to her relatives she will be missed by multitudes of people who were touched by her kindness in their time of need.
Diane was a lifetime Red Bank resident and she could be seen driving around in her robin’s egg blue Thunderbird convertible. She took pride in her log home, that she built, and enjoyed sitting on her back porch watching over her raccoon family and gargoyles, Alganon and Thelonius.
Diane was small in stature but mighty in spirit. She had to overcome more than her fair share of challenges in life and always seemed to take them in stride. One of the challenges she was most proud of was going back for her college degree while raising her children and working full time at the YMCA. She obtained her BS in Human Services Management with honors from UTC and went on to work and retire from the United Way of Greater Chattanooga. While there, she worked with multiple non-profits and was never one to slow down or know the definition of the word “No.” Upon retirement she helped found Freedom Sings, a non-profit for veterans.
Diane loved true crime podcasts, Coke Zero, perfecting her manicure (yes, her nails were real), late night talks with her grandsons, discussing topics with her granddaughter that could be considered a bit controversial, and expressing her disgust with Fox News. She was witty and opinionated, sarcastic, and loved a good debate especially with her favorite son-in-law. She taught her grandchildren (her three favorite people) to be kind and unique but to always stand up for themselves. She hated cooking but made the best chicken and dressing; however, we only got it twice a year. During the last few weeks of her life, she did not waiver in her determination and humor nor did she allow us to provide subpar folding of washcloths or watering of her or the horses.
Services will be on Saturday, November 4 at a family friend’s home. Visitation at 1 pm with service at 2 pm. Please request address from family. In lieu of flowers please donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Soddy Daisy Community Library or Freedom Sings, in her honor, as these were non-profits close to her giver’s heart.
Arrangements entrusted to Cremation Center of Chattanooga 1345 Hickory Valley Road, Chattanooga, TN 37343. 423.531.3975