Born on March 26, 1941, to Harry Wythe Lewis, Jr. and Selma (Silas) Lewis, Diane was raised in the Suburban Gardens neighborhood of Washington, DC, before her family settled in the Petworth neighborhood of DC. She graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1958. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross in 1962 and began her career with the DC Public School system. In August 1963, she married Ll’Rae Francis Robinson who she met while at Roosevelt HS. Though their union ended in divorce in 1968, it brought her greatest joy—her son, Scott I. Robinson. Diane dedicated her life to both raising her son and to her work as an educator in the DC Public School system. Over a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, she taught at several public schools across the city before retiring in 1996. After retiring, she worked in the teacher preparation program for Trinity College, now Trinity Washington University, and spoke at conventions on education.
Diane’s contributions to education extended beyond the classroom. She served as the Northeast Regional Director for Delta Kappa Gamma international professional society for women educators from 2004 to 2006 where she was the keynote speaker at conventions around the world. She is a recipient of the Washington Post – Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teaching Award and was awarded a grant from the Embassy of Spain to attend the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. She was a proud and active member of several other professional organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha, Phi Delta Kappa, Pi Lambda Theta, and the American Association of University Women. Diane was known for her radiant smile, joyful storytelling, and warm, infectious laughter. Her tales of growing up in DC, fishing with her father, and her world travels enchanted family and friends alike.
Diane was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her son Scott and daughter-in-law, Lynn Robinson of Centreville, VA; grandchildren Alyssa Houge, Curtis Etcho, Emily Young, Alyson Whitney, and Jacob McCarty; and great-grandchildren Marley, Teagan, Estelle, and Penelope. She is also survived by her sister, Barbara R. Burger, and brother-in-law, Robert Burger of Washington, DC; her close cousin Barbara A. Jarvis; and a host of “adopted” children whose lives she touched with love and wisdom.
A celebration of Diane’s life will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noonat Trinity Episcopal Church, 7005 Piney Branch Rd NW, Washington, DC 20012. She will be interred with her mother at Rock Creek Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing research aimed at preventing, slowing, or reversing Alzheimer’s disease.