Diane Mounts, longtime Sam Fox School staff member, 68
2024-04-26 • Sam Fox School
Diane Mounts, a longtime dean’s assistant in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, died April 24. She was 68.
Born in St. Louis, Mounts joined the WashU staff in 1993. She first served as secretary for Lewis Center in University City, which then housed WashU’s sculpture, photography, ceramics and visual communications programs, and was promoted to administrative assistant the following year. In 1999, she became administrative assistant to the College of Art.
In 2002, Mounts was appointed administrative coordinator and assistant to Jeff Pike, then dean of art. She later worked with deans Ronald Leax, the Halsey C. Ives Professor Emeritus of Art, and Buzz Spector, the Jane Reuter Hitzeman and Herbert F. Hitzeman, Jr. Professor Emeritus of Art. In 2011, she became executive assistant to Carmon Colangelo, the Ralph J. Nagel Dean of the Sam Fox School, and in 2012 won the school’s Outstanding Staff Award. She retired in 2017.
“Diane was such a kind, thoughtful, generous, and joyful person,” Colangelo said. “She had a positive impact on the entire culture of the school and always loved to shared stories about her family, kids and grandkids. Diane was awesome in every way. I know she will be profoundly missed.”
A devoted volleyball coach, Mounts worked with girls aged 13-and-under for two decades, winning two national championships as well as the Robert L. Lindsay Meritorious Service Award. She is survived by James Mounts, her husband of 41 years; by their children, Laura Mounts, Julie Robert and Jimmy Mounts; and by grandchildren Christian, Logan, Benjamin and Charlotte Robert, and Luca, Ishani and Remi Mounts.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at the Kutis Affton Chapel, 10151 Gravois Rd. A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 2, at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 5130 Wilson Ave., with burial at Resurrection Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her honor can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.