Diana Platt Cessna

Diana– beloved mother, grandma, aunt, and friend– passed away quietly at home in Ramona, California, on Monday, December 29, 2025, after a brief illness. She was 91.
Diana Helen was born in Reno, Nevada, to Edna Langston and William Grant Platt, the seventh of ten children. She spent her early years at the family nursery on Fourth Street and roaming the hills of Reno and Sparks with her sibling sidekicks, Tom and Willa Mae. As a teenager, influenced by her older siblings, Diana discovered dancing and spent many evenings jitterbugging at local spots—a love that stayed with her throughout her life. After graduating Reno High School, she worked as a long-distance operator for the Nevada Bell Telephone Company, manually connecting calls on the “modernized switchboard.” Even into her 90s, Diana could recite long-distance codes for Nevada mining towns and delighted in sharing stories from those days.
Diana’s first marriage, to Ralph Hultberg of Reno in 1954, gave her three children who have always been her pride and joy– Edie, Henry “Randy,” and Dan. Later, as a single, working mom, Diana made sure to pass on her love of adventure, taking them camping, fishing, and rockhounding every chance she could. The home she created on Denslowe Drive overflowed with books, nature collections, and magical Christmas celebrations that always included a freshly-cut tree and lots of love.
In 1971, Diana married the love of her life, Richard “Gene” Cessna of Reno, adding Cary and Gerené to the family, and moved to Graeagle, California. Together, they established Gene Cessna Construction Company, designing and building numerous custom homes in the Graeagle, Quincy, and Portola areas of northeastern California. It was definitely a partnership, as Diana not only attended college classes to learn bookkeeping skills for the business, but also helped with clearing lots, pouring concrete, and schlepping materials from Reno in her station wagon “pick up truck,” all while tending to house, home, and the three kids..
After twenty years, retirement led Diana and Gene to Thousand Palms, California, where she embraced desert life. There, she nurtured a lush year-round garden, discovered water aerobics, traveled with the Red Hats, and competed in shuffleboard and golf. Their many RV adventures included jaunts with the Land Yachters, leaf peeping, and a trip to the Indy 500. The adventures eventually came to an end, though, as Gene passed in 2014.
Following Gene’s passing, Diana moved to Ramona, California, in 2016, where she lived with Henry “Randy” and her dog, Skeeter. She found community at Calvary Chapel Ramona and enjoyed her weekly visits with the YANAs. She treasured time with her grandchildren—Brandon and James Cessna, Amber Hultberg and her partner Jesse Houser, and Ian and Elizabeth Chapman—often reminding them, “If you can’t be good, be careful.” Humor was never in short supply.
Diana is survived by her siblings Tom Platt (Peg) of Riverton, UT, and Willa Mae Pavlakis of Sparks, NV; her children Edie Hultberg Chapman (Ed) of San Diego, CA; Henry “Randy” Hultberg (Cerise) of Ramona, CA; Dan Cessna (Dee) of Seaside, OR; Cary Cessna of Tonopah, NV, and Gerené Cessna of Reno, NV; along with her grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Her life was marked by strength, courage, adventure, and a deep faith in Christ. She will be dearly missed.
A Celebration of Diana’s Life will be held at Calvary Chapel Ramona on Saturday, January 31, 11:00 AM, with an ice cream social in her honor to follow.

Bonham Bros. & Stewart Mortuary and Cremation Service assisted the family.

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