Diane Kay (Kennicker) Love, age 70, of Monticello, Iowa, passed away at 10:58 a.m., on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at UnityPoint Health, St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids.  To celebrate Diane’s life, family and friends may visit from 2:00 until 5:00 p.m., on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque.  Funeral services will be held at 5:00 p.m., on Thursday at the funeral home with Deacon David Roth officiating.

Diane was born on April 2, 1956, in Dubuque, the daughter of Arnold and Elizabeth “Betty” (Whitfield) Kennicker.

She attended school in Dubuque and graduated from Dubuque Senior High School. In her early 20’s, Diane and her sister, Debbie, both took jobs working for the FBI in Washington, DC.  She later took a trip to Texas with another sister, Donna, and liked it so much they both stayed.  Diane fell in love with a mailman, John Henry Love, Jr., who lived in her apartment complex.  They married in 1991, in Channelview, Texas.  For a number of years she was an Infectious Disease Nurse at MacGregor Hospital in Houston, Texas.  She eventually retired as an ObGyn Nurse in 2013, and moved back to Iowa and settled in Monticello.

Diane enjoyed working on her house and spending time in her yard and garden.  She liked canning her vegetables at the end of the season. Diane could often be found at a good flea market, sewing or playing Euchre with her family and friends.  She truly enjoyed functions with family and friends and always managed to find herself in charge of it all.

Those left to cherish Diane’s memory include her son,
John (Maria) Love III, Houston, TX;

her grandchildren,
Pippa Love and John Love IV;

her siblings,
Debbie Miller, Dubuque, IA,
David (Lori) Kennicker, Platteville, WI,
Donna Wood, Monticello, IA,
Darlene (Jeff) Sibley, Dubuque, IA,
Denise Freeman, Cascade, IA
and Dawn (Thomas) Ruskell, Carroll, IA;

a niece and several nephews;

and her former husband, John Henry Love, Jr.

Diane was preceded in death by her parents; and 3 brothers-in-law, Joseph W. Miller, John Wood, Jr. and Dan Freeman.

Diane’s family would like to thank the nurses and staff at St. Luke’s Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospice for their care and concern for her and her family.

Cards and memorials in Diane’s memory may be mailed to Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Attn. Diane Love Family.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.behrfuneralhome.com