Diane Carol Narhi, M.D.

It is with great sadness that the family of Diane Narhi announce her sudden, peaceful passing on Saturday, May 13th, 2023, at the age of 73 years old. Diane was born on December 30th, 1949, to Eino and Lempi (neé Toikkanen) Narhi and grew up in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. She graduated from Lakeview High School and then completed her undergraduate degree at the  University of Michigan. She went to medical school at Wayne State University followed by a rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA.) 

Diane was a devoted physician and was beloved by the patients she served in her private rheumatology practice in Simi Valley, California. She was one of the few women in her medical classes and continued to break barriers all throughout her life, serving as an Associate Professor at UCLA and eventually becoming the first female Chief of Staff for Simi Valley Adventist Hospital. She served patients from all over Ventura County for over 40 years. 

Diane was an avid reader and carried a love for learning with her throughout her entire life, sharing stories and lessons she learned in her senior-serving OLLI classes with her friends and family. She was also an adventurous world traveler, having traveled to six of the world’s seven continents with her husband and daughter (including Antarctica, where she completed the “polar plunge” with her daughter by jumping into the Antarctic Ocean). She loved to ski, kayak, hike, and spend time with her pets, family, and friends. She was also deeply devoted to her community, serving on the board for Don't Forget Morgan (a foundation supporting BPAN research), joining the Santa Rosa Valley Riders with her husband, serving as a medical professional for the California Air Pollution Control Board, attending plays with her sister-in-law and friends, serving on the OLLI advisory council and finance team, and volunteering with the local library system to provide reading lessons to ESL learners. 

Diane will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 35 years, Stan Ullman; her daughter, Amanda Ullman; sister, Nancy Urquhart;  brothers, Dennis Narhi and Donald Narhi; and her sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and 5 nieces, 3 nephews, and their families. Her family will be giving extra love and snacks to her dog, Dusty, “grand-dog” Poppy, and horses, Peppy and Cash. They know she is resting in peace with the company of Snoopy, Taffy, and the rest of her beloved pets.  

The family will be holding a memorial service for her on June 4th at Conejo Mountain Funeral Home at 12:30 PM. A livestream version of the service will also be made available – please contact her family to receive the link. Her family also asks for donations to some of her favorite charities (Don’t Forget Morgan, Doctors Without Borders, Natural Resource Defense Council) in lieu of flowers.

..Family in the care of Alison Balding, Funeral Arranger