Diana Khoury

Diana, a young, accomplished interior designer, was full of life. She would light up the place anywhere she went.  Those who were lucky to have known her, describe her as polite, cultured, and extremely respectful to the young and the elderly alike; she was always happy and smiling. Diana married Jack Dib in 2005, and became the loving mother of Robin (12) and Alison (7). She was most famous for the parties and gatherings she organized at her place, for her friends and family.

Diana executed multiple interior design projects in Beirut – the city she loved, and offered her clients beautiful homes. Yet, she had planned to redesign her own life by immigrating to Canada with her small family. Little did she know that taking a different route that afternoon will put an end to her dreams.

Diana is the youngest of three sisters; Nathalie being the eldest, and Myriam her twin sister. As a child, she was a bright dedicated little girl, always helping struggling students. However, she was not spoiled. At home, she was the “hero” they can rely on. This is what led her to pursue her studies in interior design at the Académie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA), and then at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), to work along her father and manage his furniture company. “At the company, she was everything”, describes her father Michel. Devastated by the loss of his daughter at such a young age, Michel hangs Diana’s picture at the entrance of his workshop, with a caption underneath “martyr, victim of a mafia government”. Yet, he is resigned to God’s will.

On that tragic Tuesday, she passed by the workshop in the morning and told her dad that she was taking her kids to the beach. He asked her to stay and come by his house, so the kids can play with their cousins. But Diana insisted on taking her son and daughter out. She took her kids to Dbaye for a swim. In the afternoon, on her way back to her home in Achrafieh-Sioufi, she took the Saifi route as there was a protest blocking the Adliyeh road.

The first explosion happened, and they were still in the car. She asked her kids to put their hands over their heads and bend down because there will be a second explosion. Soon after, the earth-shattering second explosion blew. Debris was flying everywhere and hit her car roof, immediately injuring her head. Thirty minutes later, her husband, who was trying to call her with no success, could finally reach her phone. Their son Robin picked up the phone and told his father: “Dad, mom died, she is not answering… Come find us and get us out of here”. The kids were covered in her blood, as she left them forever.

Diana always dreamt of living in dignity in her own country, she wanted to watch her kids grow up, learn, and achieve their dreams. However, due to Lebanon’s failing government, she finally took the decision with her husband to move to Canada in November 2020. Who will bring her back to her family now?