Diane Christine Cutter

Diane Christine Cutter was born Tuesday, April 2, 1946 in San Francisco, California to Donald and Charlotte Lazear Cutter. She was raised in California, Spain, Mexico and New Mexico due to her father's career as a history professor. She was the eldest of nine children, and together her family would venture across the Atlantic Ocean to Spain via cargo ship.

After she married in 1967, she gave birth to two daughters, Tina and Susie, while living in Quito, Ecuador. Diane continued her adventurous lifestyle as a U.S. Foreign Service spouse living overseas in Latin America and the Middle East. A natural born leader, she was active in every community she lived in, including becoming the Spanish teacher and the yearbook editor at the American Community School in Amman, Jordan.

In her adult life Diane began her formal study of art and grew to be an extremely talented and well-respected artist. Due to her exposure to a variety of cultures and influences, and working in diverse media, she produced a somewhat eclectic body of artwork. From 1978 to 1990, painting as Diane Haladay, she had numerous exhibitions in El Salvador, Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina, Jordan, and Honduras. She also conducted various painting, drawing, and printmaking workshops worldwide.

She divorced in 1990 and moved back to the US where she became a SCUBA diver and certified instructor. While teaching she met the love of her life, Brian Robbins, and moved to Puerto Rico where they worked side by side chartering boat trips together as captain and SCUBA instructor. She taught and certified many people, including some of her own family members. Most of her students were young military who often commented on how relaxed and at ease she made them feel in the water, nicknaming her "Mom."

Even though she kept busy teaching SCUBA, running deluxe sailing charters and making ocean going boat deliveries with Brian, she never lost her love for art and continued to create many works. In 1999 she became the co-founder/President of Puerto Rico's East End Art Guild. After 22 years of living in the lush, green mountains of Puerto Rico just above the quaint town of Ceiba, Diane returned to her roots in the American Southwest in Corrales, NM. She was very involved in the Corrales art community and with the other wonderful artists here.

Some of her artwork is now in private collections and museums in the United States and Puerto Rico as well as Central America, Spain, Jordan, and Australia. From her early childhood on, she traveled the world and lived a life of adventure, love and art. She shared the beauty she saw in life through her art. Diane will be greatly missed by the many who were fortunate to have known her, including fellow artists at the Corrales Bosque Gallery and her long-time friend Mary Swift. She was cremated with her wish that her ashes be dispersed around the world. Even though she is gone, her spirit will live on in our hearts and through her artwork in the homes and galleries around the world.

Diane Cutter was loved by all who were privileged to have known her. She was beautiful, with a kind and selfless heart. She was a confident, self-reliant woman who was easy going and listened without judgment. She was a supportive loving partner to her best friend and husband, Brian, a wonderful older sister to her eight siblings and, most of all, she was a very wonderful and caring Mom and Grandma.

Diane often mentioned how blessed and grateful she was to have experienced such a fulfilling and adventurous life. May her positive energy stay with us, and may her continued journey be just as blessed. She will live on forever in our hearts.