Diana Beatrice ( Collins) Meinecke

Diana Beatrice (Collins) Meinecke, 84, of Freeland, Maryland, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family after a courageous battle against cancer on August 23, 2025. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she was daughter of the late Cecelia Skuhr of Baltimore and Alvin Collins of Hawthorne, California. She was recently preceded in death this year by her son, Christopher S. Meinecke, and loving husband of 68 years, Charles A. Meinecke. 

She is survived by her two daughters, Karen L. Riley and Cindy C. Meadowcroft (Bill); three granddaughters, Jennifer Lleras (Jaime), Lauren Robinson (Chris), and Randi Bulkley (Ben); grandson Tom Meadowcroft; great granddaughters & great grandsons, Delia and Lettie, Diego and Wade; long-time friends Lorraine and James (Tim) Long; and great grand-dogs, Molly and Albert. 

As a child, Diana often expressed her love for animals through her artwork. She spent her younger years alongside her best friend, Lorraine. In 1956, Diana met the love of her life, Charles and they married a year later. In 1974, they moved to Freeland, Maryland with their three children. Diana spent her days enjoying their land, riding horses, laying out by their pool, reading thriller novels, completing crossword puzzles with ease, watching game shows like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune and most of all, her “wine time”. 

Diana held various positions throughout her service career which spanned over 35 years. She approached every role with unwavering dedication, especially at Sears, where she spent over 15 years, receiving numerous awards for outstanding dedication and service. 

As a dedicated believer in the Catholic faith, Diana supported her late husband, Charles in his service at Our Lady Grace Catholic Church in Parkton, Maryland. 

Family and friends are invited to a viewing Friday, August 29th from 10-11am at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 18310 Middletown Rd., Parkton, MD 21120. A Funeral Mass will begin immediately after the viewing at 11am. Interment will follow the Mass in Moreland Memorial Park 1601 Taylor Ave., Parkville, MD 21234. 

In lieu of flowers, please keep Diana’s love of sea turtles alive by donating to The Bermuda Turtle Project, a cooperative research and education program by the Bermuda Zoological Society, and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. Donate here: https://bamz.org/support/donate

 Learn more about The Bermuda Turtle Project here: https://bermudaturtleproject.org

This year our family suffered the loss of our loving brother/uncle in January, our loving father/grandfather in July and our loving mother/grandmother, Diana. Though they are no longer with us, their presence is felt in every corner of our families lives and we hold tightly to the precious moments we shared.