Dianne Carole Douglass

Dianne Douglass was born in Painesville, Ohio on October 10, 1961. Anyone who knew Dianne recently would know that she loved to surf and loved her grandchildren. She also cared deeply for preserving the environment, democracy, civic responsibility, and the importance of ordinary citizens staying informed, speaking out, and holding those in power accountable.

She believed that raising children was life’s most important work. She devoted herself to being present and involved, teaching, learning, and intentionally passing along the values she believed mattered. When her children were young, she was active in the community by volunteering her time as a PTO president and Girl Scout troop leader. She led the committee that rebuilt the neighborhood playground on Cinnamon Drive and pioneered Mommy-and-Me classes in the early 1990s, before they became popular. She refereed and coached soccer, hoping to instill fairness and gamesmanship to young athletes. Her hobbies were diverse as she practiced tai chi and qigong, painted, read, biked, and of course, surfed.

She lived in Satellite Beach for 38 years and was passionate about the environment and preserving the beauty of her local home. Every Tuesday for decades she would bike South Tropical Trail. She walked Pelican Beach daily and surfed whenever she could. When she was learning how to surf, she fell in love with it and surfed every single day for 18 months straight in 2005-2006. She would say “Why would I move when I live in paradise?”

She passed peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, August 23, 2026.

She is survived by her eight grandchildren; four children, Jessica Palenchar, Mary Gresko, Kellie Clark, and Alexandra (Alee) Douglass; her three siblings, Michael Schaab, Loreen Turk, and Karen Stark; and father, Michael Schaab.

Celebration of life and paddle out will be September 12, 2026 at 9:30AM at Pelican Beach Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you go on a beach walk (or a walk around your neighborhood) and pick up litter in her honor. Or make a donation to WDSC TV-15 or your local educational public radio or TV station.