Diane Sawyer Kelly

Diane Sawyer Kelly died peacefully at home in the early morning hours of March 21, 2026, in Dorset, Vermont. She was ninety-two.

Diane (Diane MacLaurin Sawyer) was the daughter of John Parker Sawyer and Gladys MacLaurin Sawyer. She was born on July 27, 1933, in Livermore Falls, Maine. Her father's career with International Paper brought the family from Maine to Manhattan, New York, in the 1930s. There, Diane attended Pocantico Hills Elementary School and later graduated from The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

As a teenager in Tarrytown in the 1940s, Diane met the love of her life, Paul Kelly. Before settling down, Diane had much to accomplish. She graduated from Colby Junior College for Women, then earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She started her journalism career with LIFE Magazine in New York City and went on to serve in Washington, D.C., as a White House correspondent during the Kennedy administration. Diane was a woman ahead of her time, quietly forging her own path long before it was common for women to do so. Over two decades after they first met, Diane and Paul married on June 15, 1963, at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Tarrytown, New York. Together, as husband and wife, Paul and Diane shared sixty-two devoted years of marriage and had four children: their sons John, Tucker, and Paul Jr., and daughter Laurin. Tragically, Tucker and Laurin died in a house fire in 1972. Despite this unimaginable loss, the family carried forward with resilience and love.

Eventually, Diane followed her passion for design and earned a degree from the New York School of Interior Design. In the mid 1980s, Diane also served on a committee dedicated to restoring the Statue of Liberty. In 1991, Diane and Paul moved to Vermont, where they made their home, while also maintaining a residence in Florida.

Diane was a creative spirit with deep appreciation for beauty, tradition, and family. She was known for her exceptional skill as a rug hooker, turning simple materials, burlap and wool, into works of art. Each piece reflected patience, skill, and a unique creative vision. In 2008, she was a featured artist in the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild’s “Hooked in the Mountains” exhibition at the Shelburne Museum. That same artistic eye shaped everything she touched. She had a remarkable gift for making every space feel warm, inviting, and full of character. She was an accomplished gardener who found joy in nurturing flowers and plants, a voracious reader, and an enthusiastic collector of antiques.

Above all, Diane valued family. She created homes that were both elegant and welcoming, not for show, but for gathering. Her final home, once her parents' family house in Dorset, was among her greatest gifts. She preserved it not just as a place, but as a living center of family life. There, she hosted weddings, gatherings, birthdays, Sunday night BBQs, and reunions, bringing together generations of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends. Our beloved “Dizie” poured herself into making a home where family would always want to return, and they always did.

Diane Kelly is survived by her sons, John Kelly and Paul Kelly Jr. She is also survived by Paul Jr.’s wife, Lisa, and her four grandchildren: John’s son, Tucker, and Paul and Lisa’s children, Katie, Ryan, and Connor. Diane is further survived by her brother, John Sawyer, and his wife, Laurie, along with their children, Jessica, Parker, and Holly, and their families.

A celebration of Diane’s life will be held on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at her family home in Dorset, Vermont, with a reception to follow.

Instead of flowers, donations may be made in Diane’s memory to a charity of one’s choice. Donations are also welcome to any organization that supports the arts, historic preservation, or gardening—causes that reflect her lifelong passions.