Dr. Diana Koin passed away at her home in Portola Valley, California on July 20, 2023 following a lengthy battle against cancer. She is survived by her loving husband Bill Vermeere, her adoring sister Janet Dampeer, her beloved daughter Helen Wolter, her long time step kids Janie and Forey Duckett and John Vermeere, son-in-law Rob Levin, niece Nicole and her daughter Annabel, grandchildren Theo, Isabel, Claire, Camille, Lila, and Quincy. She was predeceased by her daughter Kate.
Diana was born and raised in Denver, Colorado where she excelled in academic pursuits due to her curiosity of the world. Always a trailblazer, she chose to attend medical school as one of only five women in a class of 100 students. Following her graduation from the University of Colorado School of Medicine she created a free clinic for the elderly in Denver, Colorado. She felt that working with the elderly was an honor and was intrigued with the fascinating biological phenomenon of aging. Subsequent to her Fellowship in Geriatrics in Oregon she moved her family to California where she remained throughout the remainder of her life.
Dr. Koin loved working with the elderly, spending much of her professional life at the US Department of Veterans Affairs; she felt that they provided among the best geriatrics care in the country. For many years, she managed the hospital-based Home Care Program †at the Veterans Administration’s Hospital of Menlo Park and Palo Alto while serving as the National Chairperson for their Home Care Quality Assurance Program. She became Director of the Veterans Administration Center nursing home in San Francisco, and Chief Medical Officer for California’s Veterans Home in Yountville. In later years she served as Medical Director for The Sequoias in Portola Valley, California. Throughout her career, Diana was known for her pioneering work in the field of elder abuse, becoming a leader in the field that wasn’t fully recognized until she named the issue in research papers which became known as the King Lear Syndrome.
Due to her experience with the lack of geriatric training in the United States, Dr. Koin always worked to expand further training of elder care becoming an Assistant Clinical Professor of Gerontology at Stanford Medical School and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco where she trained other doctors caring for our elders with compassion and thoughtfulness.
As much as she enjoyed her professional work, her personal life was always filled with many pursuits that piqued her interest. She treasured her family and her friendships; she worked to ensure that those she cared about were scheduled into her busy life. Her inquisitiveness led her to travel the world exploring as many regions as possible. Her love of literature and classical music were always present in the house with books spilling over, too. She was a true foodie who enjoyed California’s spoils whole heartedly, who always experimented with new recipes and restaurants alike. She was a devoted patron of the arts in the San Francisco area, Portola Valley, and Napa Valley. After retiring she thoroughly enjoyed being a docent at the Cantor Museum and Anderson Collection at Stanford University as well as continuing her legal contributions by testifying as an expert witness for elder abuse cases.
Her warmth and big heart expressed itself often with her wry humor, her indomitable spirit, as well as her willingness to take in family members’ random animals if their life circumstances changed. She was loved and admired by many, and she is already deeply missed.
There will be a Celebration of Life on Oct. 8, 2023 in Portola Valley. Please contact family members for details.
Instead of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to either Doctors Without Borders or to a classical music program of your choice.