Diane Carlson Evans led the decade-long effort to install the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Diane Althea Carlson Evans, 79, of Helena, Mont., passed away peacefully on May 20, 2026, after a long and courageous battle against cancer.
She was a member of American Legion Post 2 in Helena and the recipient of The American Legion’s Patriot Award and Distinguished Service Medal for her decade-long effort – with backing from The American Legion – to install the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The daughter of a dairy farmer and a nurse, Diane was born in Buffalo, Minn., in 1946 to Newell and Dorothy Carlson. She attended the Carlson Country School for eight years near the farm where she grew up, graduated from Buffalo High School, and studied nursing at St. Barnabas Hospital in Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota for her Registered Nurse degree. She joined the Army Nurse Corps Student Program in 1966. Upon graduation in 1967, she was commissioned a second lieutenant and completed officer basic training. While serving as a medical-surgical nurse at Fort Lee, Va., she volunteered for service in Vietnam.
Her deployment began in the summer of 1968, for a one-year tour of duty as a surgical and burn nurse at the 36th Evacuation Hospital in Vung Tau, and head nurse in a surgical unit at the 71st Evacuation Hospital in the Central Highlands of Pleiku. Returning home, she was promoted to Captain and assigned as head nurse in the surgical intensive care unit at Brooke Army Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, where she met her future husband, Michael R. Evans, M.D., then a surgical resident. They married in April 1971.
Diane’s love for her family was boundless. She said the best part of her life was raising her children and spending time with her grandchildren. Nourishing those she loved with her incredible cooking, baking and homemade jam brought her great joy; she cherished time outdoors with her family, ideally by a lake with some loons calling, and the kids playing together in the water. She was an incredible role model and moral compass, with an exceptional work ethic and deep commitment to her mission and values. She often shared that those attributes came from her own mother, and she passed that same spirit on to her children.
She had a second family: the women and men in uniform with whom she had served during her six years of active military duty and the thousands more she met while founding and leading the Vietnam Women’s Memorial effort to honor her military sisters. Dedicated in 1993, it was the first memorial in the United States to honor women in military uniform on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. In the decades since, she served as an advocate for veterans nationally and close to home. Diane wrote about her work with the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in her book Healing Wounds: A Vietnam War Combat Nurse’s 10 Year Fight to Win Women a Place of Honor in Washington D.C. For her tireless efforts on behalf of women veterans, she was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Remarkably strong and resilient, Diane was often at her very best when tackling the hardest of challenges. That was evident during her wartime service, trailblazing work on behalf of veterans, and the way she said goodbye these last few years. Her cancer journey was filled with letters and calls from friends, family, veterans and connections from across the country. This outpouring of care and compassion meant so much to her. She shared deep gratitude for the circle of compassion and the exceptional medical and nursing care she received.
Diane is preceded in death by beloved grandson Wyatt Michael Evans, parents Newell and Dorothy Carlson, and brothers Chester, Ronald and Ward Carlson. She is survived by her loving husband Mike; children Guy, Luke, Carrie and Jon-Erik; grandchildren Azaria, Maisie, Kacie, Kai-Biko, Revy, and Nora; and her brother Maynard Carlson and sister Nola Nilsson.
In lieu of flowers, thank a veteran for their service, invite them to share their story, if they wish; or consider donating to an organization serving veterans in your community.
A Celebration of Life will be planned this fall in Helena, Mont.
- Honor & Remembrance