It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Diana Lea Overly, known to many simply as Dee. Dee, age 73, passed away on June 7, 2026 in her Ypsilanti home. Raised in Grand Rapids, Ohio, Dee was the daughter of the late Ed and Wilma Geitgey and grew up with an eye for beauty that would shape the rest of her life. She went on to study at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University, where she nurtured the talents that would define her as a gifted artist and designer.

Dee lived a life of remarkable range and reinvention. She served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War era, and over the years made her living in many ways. She owned an irrigation company that designed and installed systems for golf courses across the country, and mastered the craft of neon, bending the glass by hand, and filling it with light. Dee also carried mail for the United States Postal Service, dealt blackjack at the Motor City Casino, and served as Gallery Director of Ypsilanti's Riverside Arts Center, where her love of art and her gift for championing others came together.

Dee's art was primarily in colored pencil and watercolor, and her delicate, expressive pieces earned recognition beyond her own circle, including work featured in print. But her generosity was as much a part of her art as her own hand: she devoted herself to lifting up fellow artists, helping them build websites and find an audience for their work. In her later years, she turned that same curiosity and care toward holistic health, exploring many paths to well-being.

Above all, Dee was a loving and supportive mother and a steadfast friend to everyone fortunate enough to know her. She had a rare gift for making people feel seen.

She is survived by her devoted life partner of 25 years, Holly Smith; her two children, Lydia Cornett and Derek Overly; and her brother, Denver Geitgey. She leaves behind countless friends whose lives she touched with her warmth and her art.

In keeping with the family's wishes, Dee will be remembered privately, and no public services are planned. Those who knew and loved her are invited to carry her memory forward in their own quiet way — perhaps by noticing, as she always did, the beauty in ordinary things.