Diane Karadsheh Doxey

Diane Karadsheh Doxey, born on September 19, 1957, in Detroit, Michigan, passed away after a brave battle with a rare disease. Diane was a first generation American. Her parents, Farah and Haifa, left their home in Jordan and sailed on the Queen Frederica arriving on Ellis Island in 1956, and they settled in Detroit, Michigan. 

The family returned for a short period to Lebanon and Jordan where she studied at French and British Catholic schools. Upon returning to Michigan, she graduated from Center Line High School where she was a member of the band and she was a majorette most known for twirling batons of fire. After graduation, she studied at Eastern Michigan University and served as a resident advisor while she pursued a microbiology degree. Her education continued as she studied at The University of Michigan. Soon after, Diane worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Hess Oil in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She worked as a scientist, became a deep sea diver, sailed boats in the Caribbean, while using her well loved social skills bartending at night.

Diane continued her career in science, moving to Baltimore, where she worked at Johns Hopkins. There she contributed to pioneering C. diff research and helped establish a surgical-oncology lab. She later moved to Atlanta and worked for the CDC and Emory University in AIDS research.

Her focus turned to raising her three beautiful children, Farah, Cameron, and Daniel. She dedicated herself to supporting her children and actively participating in the community, including serving in Belzer’s PFO and as district representative/precinct committee person in Indianapolis. 

Once her kids were grown she returned to medicine by working at Simon Cancer Center and Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank. Later she earned her license as an Emergency Medical Technology (EMT) and worked for Von Maur where she was the leader in sales in Waterford Crystals at the company. 

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she would not be discouraged and her adventurous spirit led her to join a wonderful team of women in Dragon Boat racing in Italy and in many other places in the U.S. 

She fought and won the battle of breast cancer but later was diagnosed with corticobasal ganglionic degeneration in 2021. She never stopped contributing to science and working to find cures to diseases, as she participated in a clinical trial at The University of California San Francisco. Diane was preceded by her parents, Farah and Haifa, and brother, Ibrahim (“Abe”) and survived by her children, Farah (Austin), Cameron (Yunuen), and Daniel, granddaughter, Mara, brother, George, sister, Rose Marie (Lewis), nephews, Abraham and Stephen, and niece, Sara.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the University of California San Francisco's research lab, led by Dr. Adam Boxer, can be made to support finding a cure for CBD (https://boxerlab.ucsf.edu/donate) . Diane's indomitable spirit and contributions will be remembered fondly by all who knew her.

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