June 10, 2023, 90, Calypso –

December 7, 1932 – June 10, 2023

Mrs. Della Diana Lewis triumphantly entered heaven’s gate on June 10, 2023, at Kitty Askins Hospice Center with her daughter, Judy, by her side. She was born in Duplin County to the late Jake B. Smith and Della Sullivan Smith. Due to the death of her mother at a young age, Della Diana was reared by an uncle and aunt, Percy and Emma Cameron, of Calypso. In addition to her parents, her adoptive parents, and her husband, William Floyd Lewis, she was preceded in death by a brother-in-law, R.E. Holt, of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Della Diana was a lifetime resident of Calypso, and she was a faithful employee of H.B. Hamilton Beach, from which she retired with 34 years of service. Upon her retirement in November 1996, Della Diana decided to enter the political arena winning a seat on the Calypso town board because she loved her town, its people, and her desire to do what was best for Calypso. She served the town as a commissioner for 20 years. Della Diana had a heart for service. If someone in the community needed something she was there whether it was to take them to a doctor’s appointment, pick up medication, or purchase groceries. She would clean houses, wash clothes or work in yards if needed. She was well known for her lemon pound cakes. She always called Calypso her “honey hole” and was proud to say she was from Calypso.
Della Diana leaves to cherish her memory her loving daughter, Judy Lewis Williams, of Mount Olive, NC, her sister, Nell Holt, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a niece, Deloris Brown, and husband, Charlie, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, a great nephew, Dustin L. Brown, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and two special men whom she considered sons, Steve Vernon, of Clinton, NC, and Don Hargrove, of Mount Olive, NC.
Della Diana was a member of Thunder Swamp Pentecostal Holiness Church in Mount Olive where she was known as the Chicken Pastry Lady. When Covid came and her health started to decline, she attended Peace Baptist Church in Calypso.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in her memory to Peace Baptist Church, 323 E. Church Street, Calypso, NC, 28325, Thunder Swamp Pentecostal Holiness Church, 1519 Thunder Swamp Road, Mount Olive, NC 28365, or Kitty Askins Hospice Center, 107 Handley Park Court, Goldsboro, NC 27534.
Thank you to her neighbors, T-Bone and Lisa Tyndall, for their daily personal contacts. Furthermore, special thanks to JoAnn Wilson and Andy Hall, for caring for Ms. Diana during her brief illness. The family wishes to extend a special thanks to the staff of Kitty Askins Hospice Center for their care and compassion.
A graveside service will be held Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 2 p.m. at Calypso Cemetery. The public is invited to attend.