CAPE ELIZABETH - Diane E. Shevenell of Cape Elizabeth passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at her home, surrounded by loved ones.CAPE ELIZABETH - Diane E. Shevenell of Cape Elizabeth passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at her home, surrounded by loved ones.
The daughter of Thomas (Tony) and Marjorie E. (Bryan) O'Donnell, she was born on July 24, 1942, in Portland, and graduated from Deering High School in 1960. Diane attended the University of Maine in Portland and Orono, graduating with a B.A. in history and government in 1964. Earning an internship with Maine U.S. Representative Stanley R. Tupper, she spent her junior year in Washington, D.C., where she met Raymond Shevenell, a fellow Portland native attending Georgetown University. Ray and Diane got engaged under the apple trees at Orono and were married at St. Joseph's Church in Portland on May 15, 1965. Settling in Portland, Diane ran Representative Tupper's Maine office until the end of his tenure in Congress.
Diane raised her two children, Tonya and Peter, then returned to the workforce after earning her real estate broker's license. Her successful practice spanned over 40 years at Legacy Properties/Sotheby's International Realty, Town & Shore Associates, Mark Stimson Associates, and Century 21/Balfour Realty. She was an officer of the Portland Board of Realtors.
A parishioner of St. Bartholomew's Church in Cape Elizabeth, Diane served as president of its Women's Club, and wrote its newsletter under Father Michael McGarrigle. She was a member of other local organizations including the Cape Elizabeth Garden Club.
Her passions included horses and flower gardening; music, particularly that of son-in-law Don Campbell and neighbor Jonathan Edwards; spending time with family on Chebeague Island; the Boston Celtics (especially during the Larry Bird/Robert Parish era); cruising in the Caribbean with her husband; and vacationing on Sanibel Island.
Diane is survived by her husband of 51 years, Raymond Shevenell; daughter Tonya; son Peter, daughter-in-law Gina, and granddaughter Lucia; brother David O'Donnell and his wife Marie of Monument, Colo., and Chebeague Island; brother Dana O'Donnell and his wife Ida of South Portland; her "second son" John Scully of Nairobi, Kenya, and Southport Island; cousin Eileen Horton and husband Richard; and her other loving brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be from 4-7 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, at the
Conroy-Tully Walker South Portland Chapel
, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 23 at St. Bartholomew Church, 8 Two Lights Rd., Cape Elizabeth. Interment will follow at Riverside Cemetery, Cape Elizabeth. To view Diane's memorial page or to share an online condolence, please visit: www.ConroyTullyWalker.com