E. Yvonne Diekman

E. Yvonne Diekman, 88, passed away August 21, 2015 at the AVRMC Nursing Care Center. She was born September 23, 1926 to Elmer and Nellie (Cress) Wyman. She grew up on a farm near Brownell, KS, and graduated from Brownell High School at the age of 15. She was a force to be reckoned with on her high school basketball team, standing at 5'11". She married Erroll Cantlin in 1953. They had 3 children. Yvonne and Erroll later divorced. In 1970, she married Ervin Diekman.


Yvonne enjoyed her career as a court reporter which spanned 35 years, beginning in 1952 as a freelance court reporter in Kansas City, MO. She spent the last 23 years of her career as a district court reporter, serving the communities of Brighton, CO, Durango, CO, Wichita, KS, and La Junta, CO. She received many certifications in her career, most notably the National Certificate of Merit. This distinction certified she was able to take literary dictation at over 200 words per minute with at least 95 percent accuracy.


She overcame her fear of public speaking by joining Toastmasters and was an Arkansas Valley Hospice Volunteer. Her hobbies included photography, sewing, baking, and gardening. She was an avid traveler, not only living in Alaska for a brief time but also going coast to coast in retirement, as well as visiting Hawaii and Guam.


Yvonne was a member of the Colorado Court Reporters Association and National Court Reporters Association, a member of PEO for over 50 years, and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in La Junta.


She is survived by her daughter, Debra (Lin) Chabino; 7 Grandchildren, Zachariah (Stacy) Breeden, Brenda (Glenn) Hasui, Mandy Stump, Melanie (Thomas) Childers, Casey (Charles) Forkner, Jessie Montgomery, and Kelly Chabino: 2 Sisters, Carol Skaggs and Laura Turner; and Sister-in-Law, Mary Wyman; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother LaVerne Wyman, and sons, David and James Cantlin.


Funeral services will be Thursday, August 27, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in La Junta. Visitation will be prior to services at the church from 9:00 a.m. until service time. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery.


In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Arkansas Valley Hospice or the Pat Summitt Foundation.


Peacock-Larsen Funeral Home & Arkansas Valley Crematory is in charge of arrangements.


Funeral services will be Thursday, August 27, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Dr. MJ Romano officiating.  Visitation will be prior to services at the church from 9:00 a.m. until service time.  Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery.