Dianne Marie King Barrett

Dianne Marie King Barrett, age 78, of Gainesville, Georgia, passed away on December 27, 2023.

She was born October 7, 1945, to Gladys and Rocklan King of Walland, Tennessee. Dianne was preceded in death by her daughter, Eliza Barrett Baker, her parents, and sisters, Rolena Stephens and Linda King.

Dianne attended Walland High School, where she was an All-State basketball player. After high school, she attended Tennessee Tech University, earning a bachelor’s degree in education, and was a cheerleader. Her first teaching position was at Dalton High School, where she also served as cheerleader sponsor. After only one year as a high school teacher, Dianne began working on her master’s degree in physical education at Middle Tennessee State University.  

In 1970, Dianne came to Gainesville Junior College to teach physical education and be the cheerleading and drill team sponsor. That began a stellar 30-year career where Dianne held many positions and brought numerous athletic awards to Gainesville Junior College. In 1974, when Title IX initiated women's collegiate athletic programs, Dianne took on the job of coach along with all her other teaching responsibilities. Her first basketball team comprised of women from her physical education classes, and they brought home the region title in 1975. Her incredible coaching career included the 1975 women's basketball regional title, taking two basketball teams to the National Championships in Kansas, coaching two All-Americans in basketball, and taking five women's tennis teams to Texas to the Junior College National Tournament. Dianne earned five State of Georgia Coach of the Year Awards.

While in Gainesville, she first met her husband, Anthony, and they were married in December 1971. Dianne was an avid tennis player and served the Gainesville community as Director of the summer swim program at the college. Dianne continued to teach and coach until 1981, when she decided to give up coaching to spend more time with Anthony and their first daughter and continue growing their family.

In 1999, only six months after retiring from teaching at Gainesville College as an assistant professor, Dianne suffered a massive stroke. That ended her time on the tennis court, but it did not stop her from enjoying her two daughters and five grandchildren. Those five were the love of her life; she attended every baseball game, golf tournament, or football game possible and loved nothing more than cheering for each of them.

Surviving Dianne is her husband of 52 years, Anthony Barrett; daughter, Kingsley Barrett Peeples (Will) and their children Addison and Liam; her late daughter’s husband, Tim Baker, and their children Jackson, Barrett, and Crawford; her sister, Karen Fullam of Charlotte, North Carolina and brother, Rocky King (Linda Rosa) of Walland, Tennessee; in addition to several nieces and nephews whom she loved as if they were hers.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, January 5, 2024, at Gainesville First United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends at Memorial Park Riverside Chapel on Thursday, January 4, 2023, from 4:00 pm until 6:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Eliza Baker Memorial Scholarship Fund.  Donations may be mailed to the: Eliza Baker Memorial Scholarship, 903 Dewolfe Drive, Alexandria, Virginia 22308, or online at ElizaBakerMemorialScholarship.org.

Special thanks to Lakes at Gainesville Assisted Living and Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center for their comfort and care.

Memorial Park Riverside Chapel 989 Riverside Drive Gainesville, Georgia is in charge of arrangements. For online condolences www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com