Diana Gloria Gilson (née Rowe) died peacefully at home on April 19, 2023 in Palm Coast, Florida. She was preceded in death by her husband, Willard “Bud” Gilson (d. 2013). She was born in Los Angeles, California on March 9, 1941 to Paul Henry Rowe (d. 1968), an inventor, and Gloria MacConaghy Rowe, an artist (d. 2004). She was educated at Scripps College, the University of California, Berkeley (B.A., M.A.T.), and the Université de Genève (Diplome). She also studied art at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles.
Like her Mother, Diana was an accomplished, well-known artist, who worked in numerous media and preferred abstract expressionism as her style. Her paintings have been exhibited at several galleries in Florida and South Carolina. She was fluent in French, Spanish, and Mandarin, and was studying Italian. She loved to play the piano. Before moving to Palm Coast in 2001, Diana and her husband “Bud” were international yachting people, sailing around the world on several occasions in their yachts, the Diana and Hydra. They also spent time touring the canals of France on board their riverboat, which they moored on the Saône River in Burgundy. After moving to Palm Coast, they kept a powerboat on the canal next to their home and explored the Inland Waterway and the Bahamas.
Diana is survived by her brothers, Paul Henry Rowe and John Carlos Rowe (Kristin), three nephews, Sean Rowe (Katherine), Kevin Rowe (Karen), and Mark Rowe (Angela), and their children. Diana brought light, color, and joy to this world – a hero of art and life. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Sierra Club.
