Dietra Ann Paris, age 80, passed away March 13th, 2026, in Owensboro, KY. Dietra was a brilliant, unique woman, known for many things, but she shined as an advocate for the dignity of people. Born May 4, 1945, in Princeton, KY, she attended Fredonia Grade School and High School, graduating in 1963 as valedictorian of her class. She then entered Centre College in Danville, KY and graduated in 1967 with an AB degree in psychology and minors in English and biology.
In 1967, she was employed as a social worker with the Kentucky Department of Economic Security, working in Caldwell and Lyon Counties. In 1969, she was promoted within that same department to the position of Field Office Administrator, serving in Crittenden and Livingston Counties. In 1973, she was promoted and transferred to the position of District Program Manager in the Kentucky Department for Human Resources with headquarters in Owensboro, KY. In this position, she had administrative responsibility for the Department’s programs in the Green River Area. Later, other counties were added to her region, including Caldwell County. She remained in that position for 25 years.
In 1998, Governor Paul Patton appointed Dietra the first Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services. As Commissioner, she was headquartered and lived in Frankfort, KY, and had administrative responsibility for the federal and state-funded social services and income maintenance programs in all of Kentucky’s 120 counties. She retired from that position in 2003 with 36 years of service in Kentucky State government.
Dietra was a world traveler who had visited each of the seven continents, over 75 countries, and most of the states in the USA. She loved photography and always came home with copious photos and art, which she used to decorate her home. Many of her travels were with the Friendship Force, a group that stays with local families around the world, allowing for a more immersive experience of the culture.
Gardening and cultivating her home, along with enjoying her friends, were her other hobbies, but more than anything, Dietra loved her family. She was preceded in death by her beloved parents, William Ralph Paris Sr. and Pansy Violet (Traylor) Paris and her brother, William Ralph (Rodney) Paris Jr. who she talked to on the phone daily, and is survived by her nephew, Matthew C. Paris (Karen) and his sons, Darren, Zachary and Benjamin Paris and niece, Martha A. Paris and her children, Zak Jr., Aidan, Zane, Zade and Pansy Smith.
The funeral will be held Friday, March 20, 2026, at Morgan’s Funeral Home in Princeton, KY, at 11 AM.
Two visitations will be held. The first will be Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory in Owensboro, KY, from 4-7 PM, and the second will be Thursday, March 19, 2026, at Morgan’s Funeral Home in Princeton, KY, from 4-8 PM.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the Western Kentucky Botanical Gardens at www.wkbg.org or CASA, 415 St. Ann St., Owensboro, KY 42303.
