Dianne Cage Death, Obituary – Dianne King Cage cherished her relationships with her family, friends, and the community. Dianne shared her beautiful southern charm, charming sense of humor, and exquisite disposition in all she did. She was born on December 8, 1942, in Monroe, Louisiana. Her greatest happiness came from welcoming her kids and grandchildren to the lovely house and gardens she and her devoted husband, Mike Cage—whom she always referred to as Mike Cage—shared. They built a house filled with family, entertainment, and travel experiences over the course of 33 years.
Dianne was proud to tell everyone she attended Georgia Tucker and later founded the Save Georgia Tucker Foundation, an organization singlehandedly responsible for the rescue of the historic school building. After graduating from Neville High School in 1961, Dianne attended LSU, where she was a member of the Kappa Delta Sorority. She also served on the Rodeo Court.
Dianne gave her all to the causes and endeavors she believed in. Later, she served as president of the Monroe Garden Club after serving as president of the Monroe Junior Garden Club. She also served as president of the Potpourri Book Club and was an active member of the Monroe Symphony League, the Junior League of Monroe, the Ole Investment Club, the St. Francis Franciscan Mission for AIDS Board, and other organizations. Both the ULM Foundation and the Monroe Planning and Zoning Committee appointed Dianne to those positions. Her giving nature and illustrious work ethic benefited the Boys and Girls Club, Medcamps, St. Paul’s Bell Tower, and Columbarium, among other organizations. Dianne’s creative vision and passion led her to honor Neville High School in a lasting way by designing a Christmas ornament depicting the stately old school. Proceeds from the purchase of the ornaments will benefit the George Snellings Scholarship Foundation and the Neville Cheerleaders.
When Gov. James A. Noe granted Dianne a culinary show on KNOE called “Seasons of Louisiana,” she became well-known. To the pleasure of fans around the Ark-La-Miss, she blended her contagious wit with her culinary and gardening prowess for 22 years. Two hugely successful volumes, “Cooking and Gardening with Dianne” and “Dianne II: Cook and Tell,” were the result of her time on KNOE. Later, she relaunched “Seasons of Louisiana” as a recurring column in the Ouachita Citizen Newspaper and continued to write enticing, well-read articles for DeltaStyle Magazine. Dianne provided viewers with a close-up look at the graceful, joyful life she made seem so natural through her columns, recipes, and television appearances. In doing so, she encouraged others to strive for the greatest version of themselves.
Dianne is survived by her husband Dr. Mike Cage; daughter Satchie Snellings Godfrey; daughter-in-law Janelle Snellings stepchildren Wilcox Snellings (Viria), Laura Wied (Jesse), Mike Cage Jr. (Leigh), Elizabeth LaRose (Walter), Sara Deshotel (Gregg); grandchildren Katherine Godfrey, Sallie Jayne Snellings, Georgia Dianne Snellings, George M. Snellings V (Quinn), John Snellings, Maria Del Mar Bolaños, Mary Amanda Theiss (J.R.), Katherine Kyrouac (Michael), Hannah Hostetler (Dillon), Taylor Colvin (Murphy), Jordan Wyatt (Jacob), John LaRose, Claire LaRose, Virginia Deshotel, Thomas Deshotel; great-grandson Graham Colvin; brother Tom King (Jewel); sisters Wendy Gray (Rel), Rebo Bradford (Damon); sisters-in-law Virginia Shemwell, Carol Jarred, Susan Cage, Nancy Inabnett (Carrick) and brother-in-law Frank Snellings (Mary); son-in-law Bo Godfrey.
In addition to her son George M. Snellings IV, Dianne also lost her husband George M. Snellings III, her parents Tom W. King and Ella Mae Baker King, her in-laws Shelby and Virginia Cage, and her brothers-in-law Ronald Shemwell, Jodie Jarred, and Joseph S. Cage, Jr. Bob Cudd, James Davison, Sherman Shaw, Dixon Abell, Harris Brown, and Taylor Cagle serve as honorary pallbearers. On Friday, October 14, 2022, services will be placed at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Monroe at 11:00 a.m. Reverend R.B. Moore will preside over the services, which will be handled by Kilpatrick Funeral Home Monroe.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials may be made in Dianne’s honor to St. Paul’s Methodist Church, 1901 Lexington Avenue, Monroe, LA 71201, where she and Mike were faithful members for many decades.
