Regina Diane Townsend

Regina Diane Townsend, 62, of Riceville, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on March 30, 2026. She was a loving mother, daughter, sister and friend and a devoted grandmother to her 3 grandsons. Diane was full of life. Her beautiful smile and infectious laugh were second to none. She was a hard worker and retired from Bowater in 2022 after nearly 40 years of service. She loved her Bowater family so much and loved to share stories of them and her time there. She was a competitive swimmer in her youth and took her talents all the way to the University of TN where she was a member of the Lady Vols swim team in the early 1980's. Her name is proudly displayed on the Hall of Fame wall on the university's campus. She was well known for her love of Dolly Parton. Some would even argue she was her biggest fan. She was a proud member of the Dolly foundation where she met many of her closest friends over the years. They traveled all over the country together supporting Dolly at her shows and events. She was so proud and honored that she was personally able to meet Dolly many times. She loved to travel, spend time with family and friends and was a daredevil, not afraid to say yes to trying anything new. Her dream after retirement was to live in the Smoky Mountains where she always felt at peace and loved to be.

She is preceded in death by her precious daddy, Blyan Townsend, paternal grandparents, Marshall and Edith Townsend and maternal grandparents, Lake and Jane Williams.

Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Cassie (Elisha) Johnson of Cleveland and one son, Zachary Mendenhall. Her mother, Joyce Townsend of Cleveland, two sisters and brothers in law, Janet (Rex) Griffith of Cleveland and Cindy (Terry) Johnson of Riceville. The lights of her life, her 3 grandsons, Makhi Lindsey, EJ and Xavier Johnson of Cleveland. A host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

The family would like to send a heartfelt thank you and show their appreciation to the entire MICU staff at Bradley Medical Center for their exceptional and compassionate care of Diane in her final days. They are all true Angels.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 4, 2026 from 1-5pm at Companion Funeral home in Cleveland, TN. The family asks that everyone wear bright colors or even a Dolly or TN shirt if you like. We want to celebrate Diane and represent her personality and everything she loved.