In Memory

Diane Haroldson

Diane Haroldson

Diane Mildred Haroldson died peacefully in her home in Brainerd, Minnesota, on Friday, June 23, 2023, following a brief fight with pancreatic cancer. She was 73.

Diane was born in Brainerd and graduated from Mankato High School in Mankato, Minnesota, in 1967. She attended community college in Mankato before beginning a lifelong career in Information Technologies. She spent the majority of her career as a mainframe administrator for U.S. Bank, from which she retired in 2012. Diane also lived in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Madison, Wisconsin; Hudson, Wisconsin; and Scottsdale, Arizona. 

An avid gardener, Diane often used the plants she grew in her cooking, including her infamous pesto pasta. She also loved baking and was a prolific maker of Christmas cookie care packages. Diane, who was universally acknowledged as “a nice lady,” was an artist who enjoyed creating things and was especially talented at making stained glass artwork. And as a self-described “old hippie,” she enjoyed tie-dying, especially with help from her grandkids.

Diane is survived by her former husband, Charles Anesi, and is mourned deeply by their children, Jeanette (Lloyd) Anesi-Brombach, Richard (Rachel) Anesi, and John (Sarah) Anesi; her brothers, James (Catherine) Haroldson, Gregory Haroldson, and Adam (Mark) Haroldson-Johnson; and her grandchildren, Jenna (29), Michael (26), Ethan (17), Alex (12), Elizabeth (4), and Bennett (1). She joins in death her parents, LeRoy and Jeanette (neé Edmonds) Haroldson.

The family is organizing a joint memorial later this summer for Diane and her mother, Jeanette Ione Haroldson, who died June 12 at the age of 99 in Brainerd. Both will be interred at Woodland Hills Memorial Park Cemetery in Mankato, Minnesota. In lieu of flowers, mourners are encouraged to make a memorial donation to a charity of their choosing.