Diana Elisa Gutierrez Breedlove

Diana Elisa Gutierrez Breedlove, age 52, of Wylie, Texas, passed away on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, after a long and tedious battle with breast cancer.
Diana was born March 24, 1970 at Grissom Airforce Base outside of Peru, Indiana, to Ernesto and Ida Gorham Gutierrez. On January 15, 1994, Diana married Joseph P. Breedlove and they had two of the best sons that anyone could want: Brendan J. Breedlove, born January 17, 2000, and Justin E. Breedlove, born October 14, 2003.

Diana was preceded in death by her father, Ernesto. She is survived by her husband, Joe Breedlove; two sons: Brendan Breedlove (Maddy Donaldson) and Justin Breedlove; her mother, Ida Gutierrez; two sisters: Marina Swenson (Douglas Swenson) and Elena Gutierrez (Christopher Pollard); a niece, Amanda Blanco (Joseph Blanco), a nephew, Austin Freeman; and many extended family members from the Breedlove, Gutierrez, and Gorham families.

Diana was the type of person that if befriended, you had a friend for life. This was reflected in the extended friendship base she created throughout her entire life. While growing up in the Garland area, Diana led an active life – being part of the Girl Scouts, playing volleyball, playing the flute in the band and marching with the high school color guard. She graduated from North Garland High School in 1988. "Go Raiders!" She started college by attending Richland Community College. This was about the time that she started dating Joey. They quickly decided they were right for one another and moved to Arlington, Texas in July 1990 where they both attended the University of Texas at Arlington while working for the Arlington Public Library. Diana graduated in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in Biology.

In 1996, she and Joey moved back to Garland, living there until 2001, when they built their current home in Wylie, Texas. Shortly after that she began working for Medical City Dallas Hospital as a Histotechnician, preparing body tissue samples for examination by a pathologist. In January 2012, while working for Medical City, she discovered that she had breast cancer and took the challenge head on. While working and caring for her husband and two children, she beat this monster into remission. Through surgeries, chemo, and radiation, she persevered and excelled in the fight against cancer by volunteering with the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life. Unfortunately, the cancer returned in 2016, forcing her to leave her job so that she could fight the battle full time. From that point on, she never wavered from her goal: to beat the cancer into remission or at least live long enough to see her youngest child, Justin, graduate from Wylie East High School. He graduated on May 28, 2022 and was awarded a $24,000 scholarship to the University of North Texas.

Diana's memorial service will be held Saturday, July 9, at 10:00 am at the Charles W. Smith and Sons Funeral Home in Sachse, Texas. The service will be officiated by Brother Jimmie Chapman, Joey's uncle.

In lieu of flowers, the family would greatly appreciate donations in Diana's name to the American Cancer Society or Relay for Life, USA.
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/dianab56

Services entrusted to Charles W. Smith & Sons Funeral Home of Sachse, Texas.