Ms. Dianne David

Dianne David passed away in her home state of Texas on March 2nd. She was 73.
Those of us who were lucky enough to have known her will remember her intelligence, her wit, her certainty, her stubbornness and, preeminently, her evangelical love of art and literature.
She was a combination of her father, self-made drilling mud tycoon, Henry David, and her beautiful, brilliant mother, Grace MacMillan, whose taste and kindness amazed and inspired all who knew her.
Dianne's star shone brightly. Her pioneering David Gallery in the late 60's was the most influential of its time and enlivened the Houston art scene with creative exhibitions that introduced the works of her brother Dorman David, Bob Camblin, Lucas Johnson, Earl Staley, Roy Fridge, Jim Love, David McManaway, Charles Pebworth, Donald Roller Wilson, William T. Wiley, Larry Rivers, Seymour Leichmann, Guy Johnson, amongst others and in doing so influenced the direction of contemporary art in Houston. Her taste inspired friends and patrons alike who are now the better for it.
After closing the gallery and moving out of Houston, Dianne created--along with Henry Steinmann--the innovative bath oils company "Stolen Flowers," a visionary enterprise that flourished until a cerebral aneurism brought confusion then conclusion to her ambitions.
She will also be remembered for her fabulous cooking and frequent dinner parties usually with a fascinating mix of artists and intellectuals espousing worthy causes. She had a great love for her animals, from a series of dogs each named Possum, her horse, Cutty Sark and her myriad turtles that lived in an artfully amazing outdoor condo that she created for them.
Besides her friends, she will be missed mightily by her children, Kimberly (Kim) Crossingham Braun and Charles Edward (Chase) Crossingham, daughter-in-law Rhonda Guy Crossingham, grandchildren Kimberly Jordan and Charles Edward (Chad) Crossingham of Mount Airy, Carl Alexander Braun of Santa Barbara, California and brother Dorman David of Houston.
There will be a memorial service in Houston, and Dianne will be interred locally in Oakdale Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider the needs of Mount Airy's Gallery Group--she would have liked that. www.uptowngallerygroup.org