Frances Diane Tyson

December 10, 1951 – May 26, 2026

Some people leave behind memories. Diane Tyson left behind people who loved better because they knew her. Diane passed away surrounded by the family she loved so fiercely. 

Born to Okey and Marian Tyson, Diane grew up on Wilmore Drive in Charlotte, NC and graduated from Harding High School. She spent her life working alongside her family, beginning in 1983 at Tyson Jewelry and Electronics on South Boulevard. Over the years, she poured her heart into the many Tyson family businesses, including Tyson’s Barbecue, Tyson’s Fish Camp, Tyson’s Tool and Equipment, and eventually Ideal Equipment, where she spent fifteen years building friendships with customers and coworkers before retiring in 2007.

To know Diane was to know someone who made people feel seen. She never met a stranger. If you walked into her life, chances are you walked out feeling encouraged, cared for, and probably carrying a gift she gave you.

Diane was a world-class gift giver. Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, holidays, or ordinary Tuesdays—she never needed a reason to celebrate someone. You could count on a card, a phone call, a thoughtful surprise, or the perfect gift arriving just when you needed it. She remembered the details, the dates, and the little things that mattered because people mattered to her. She would give you the shirt off her back. 

Physical touch was Diane’s love language. If you knew her, chances are you’ve spent time gathered in her king-sized bed—talking, laughing, crying, watching movies, or simply sitting together. Her room was her sanctuary, but it never felt off-limits. It was a place of comfort, conversation, and connection, and there was always room for one more.

Diane was the family’s command center. She kept track of appointments, coordinated doctor visits, drove the school carpools, checked in on everyone, and was the self-appointed director of everyone else’s business. She offered encouragement freely and opinions even more freely. You never had to wonder where Diane stood on an issue—she’d already told you. Stubborn, determined, and fiercely loyal, she simply refused to give up when someone she loved needed help.

Diane never met a person she couldn’t mother. She spent her life taking care of everyone around her, often before thinking about herself. Her door was always open, an extra seat could always be found at her table, and her heart always had room for more. Many of her friendships spanned more than fifty years, and countless young men were shaped by her steady encouragement, hard-earned wisdom, loving accountability, and belief in who they could become.

Diane loved the simple joys in life: an ice-cold Coca-Cola, her beloved Chows and Bichons, sunny beach days in Garden City and Wilmington. She appreciated beautiful hair, fresh nails, and skin so soft you’d hear about her latest lotion recommendation before you left the room. Even on the hardest days, Diane carried herself with beauty and strength. 

For the last seven years, Diane and her brother gathered family, friends and colleagues each Christmas to celebrate the Lord’s faithfulness. They cooked for 50 people. And while the fellowship was the main event, more than a few people kept an eye on the dessert table, hoping to claim a serving of Diane’s famous banana pudding before it disappeared. The recipe remains one of the family’s best-kept secrets.

Even through years of pain and health challenges, Diane never lost her sense of humor. 

If love could have kept her here, she would have lived forever.

Her legacy lives on in the family she nurtured, the friendships she cherished, the traditions she created, and the countless lives she touched through her generosity, faithfulness, and unwavering love. But of all the roles she held throughout her life, none meant more to her than being Jamie’s mom, and her love for him was one of the greatest joys of her life.

Please meet her family - Son: Jamie Tyson (Crystal). 2 Grandchildren: Scottie Tyson (Joanna), Kevin Tyson. Brother: Michael Tyson (JeJe). 5 Nieces & Nephews: Johnathan, Trevor, Carl Jade, Madison, McKayla. 5 Great Nieces & Nephews: Nevaeh, Alexa, Arianna, Journey, William.



A service to celebrate Diane’s life will be held on Saturday, June 6th at 1pm at Carolina Funeral Service & Cremation Center, 5505 Monroe Rd Charlotte NC 28212.



In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Humane Society of Charlotte to continue Diane’s generosity and love for animals: https://humanesocietyofcharlotte.donorsupport.co/page/FUNSSGRKKYW

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