Diane Sheets

KEOTA-Diane R. Dickinson Sheets, age 65, of Keota, died Thursday, August 6, 2026, at the Keokuk County Health Center in Sigourney.

Diane was born December 30, 1960, at the Jefferson County Hospital in Fairfield, the daughter of Donald D. and Alice J. (Statler) Dickinson. She grew up in Brighton and enjoyed going to grade school at Brighton Elementary where she made many lifelong friends. She graduated from Washington High School in 1979, and attended Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. After returning to the Brighton area, she worked at several office jobs, most recently as an Office Assistant and Agent at Prairie Mutual Insurance Association in Keota. Diane was especially proud of obtaining her Property and Casualty Insurance License while at Prairie Mutual.

Diane met Mark Sheets and they were united in marriage on April 13, 1985. They lived on Mark’s family farm near Talleyrand until moving to Keota in September 2009. Mark and Diane had two children, son Tyler and daughter Erin. She loved following all their activities, including sports and dance. She had many hobbies and was very seldom without a craft project in her hands in the evening. She loved to quilt and crochet or about any kind of craft. Baking was another favorite of Diane’s, always decorating a special birthday cake for her family. Baking cookies and making popcorn balls for the trick-or-treaters was always a big event she planned for each year. One of her favorite hobbies that Diane thought about year-round was decorating for Christmas. She was always thinking how she was going to decorate each one of her many Christmas trees and how she was going to add to the spirit that year. Seeing the lights twinkle made her so happy.

Survivors include her husband: Mark of Keota; son: Tyler Sheets and wife Katie of Keota; daughter: Erin Sheets and fiancé John Reiter of North Liberty; three grandchildren: Kameron, Kalla and Kaia Sheets of Keota, who were the joys of her life; brother: Terry (Donna) Dickinson of Minneapolis, Minnesota and their children Katie and Jack; brother-in-law: Jerome (Sarah) Sheets of Montezuma; sisters-in-law: Barb (Tom) Willis of Davenport, Rosie Vincent of Carlisle, Gloria Lawrence of Coralville and Luann Cave of Keota; aunt: Jane Whitaker of Brighton and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents: Don and Alice; father and mother-in-law: Harold and Mary Sheets; sister-in-law: Marge Sheets; brothers-in-law: Joel Sheets, Jack Lawrence, Gary Vincent and Kevin Cave and nephews: Dennis Detweiler, Ryan Detweiler, Brian Cave, Tom Sheets and Nicholas Baldwin.

Celebration of Life Gathering will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at St. Mary’s Parish Hall in Keota. Burial will be at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday at Holy Trinity Cemeteries - St. Mary’s Cemetery in Keota.

Diane’s family will be purchasing a Christmas decoration to be placed on Broadway Avenue in her memory. Memorials may also be given to Essence of Life Hospice and the Keota Elementary Playground. Powell Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Keota is caring for Diane and her family. Tributes may be made at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.