Diana Jean Pauling

Diana Jean Pauling (Zeches), of Eden Prairie, died peacefully on Tuesday, May 2, at 1:50 pm at the age of 76 of complications from a serious case of acute pancreatitis, surrounded by her children. 

Diana is survived by her children, Heather Pauling and Derek Pauling (Jennifer); grandchildren, Zachary Pauling, Sterling Rouleau, Taylor Pauling, Iris Rouleau; siblings, Tsiana Zeches, Sandi Jensen (Jim), John Zeches (Scott Mayer), (Susan Zeches, sister-in-law) special extended family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Mike; father, James Zeches; mother, Betty Zeches; brother, Michael Zeches. 

Diana was born on Oct. 7, 1946, in Minneapolis.

From a young age, Diana had dreams of becoming a nun, then she ended up meeting Mr. Michael Pauling, and all bets were off! In high school, Diana spent many hours working on the yearbook committee and was a member of the National Honor Society. Her first career was in nursing, and soon after, Mike was wounded in Vietnam, where he was serving in the United States Marine Corps. She joined her sweetheart in Japan to get married and work as a nurse. Upon return to the States, she cared for children of all ages in the pediatric unit at Fairview Southdale Hospital until becoming a mother in 1972. 

Mike and Diana raised their family in Eden Prairie and were proud to be residents for over 40 years. One of her greatest joys was being a stay-at-home mom for about the first 10 years. She was always making time for volunteer work and side jobs such as selling Tupperware and Transart. 

In November of 1979, Diana Pauling and Mary Beth Buckman began the formal process of petitioning the Archdiocese for a new parish that would eventually become Pax Christi. They presented a viability study to the Archdiocese in March of 1980. In August of that year, the Archdiocese gave its official blessing to the new parish. Diana went on to serve the Pax Christi community as a pastoral minister for over 20 years. 

Once finishing her career at Pax Christi, she joined Mike in the family business: Biffs, Inc. At Biffs, she was responsible for creating systems, culture, and organization for the fast-growing business that he had been building. “Biffers” look to Diana as one of their own family members. She left a mark on Biffs that still lives on today, where the company employs over 80 employees during its peak season. She instilled the mantra “We Care More” that set the company apart. 

Diana was known for her kindness, patience, compassion, ambition, hard work, integrity, inspiring others, and a loving, accepting personality.

Even though Diana only had two children and four grandchildren, she was a mother figure to countless others. She had the ability to find good in everyone and inspired them to celebrate that. She was a giver. If she didn’t have the resources on her own to help, she would find someone who did. She loved spending time with friends and family, sewing, reading, deer hunting, fishing, gardening, and being the most organized and prepared person on the planet! 

Services were held on May 8 at Pax Christi Catholic Community in Eden Prairie. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to People Reaching Out to People (PROP), 14700 Martin Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344.