EASTHAM, Mass. – Diane M. Bergen, 50, of Eastham, Mass., and formerly of Maine, died Sunday, July 16, 2006, at her the home after an illness with lung cancer.

Born in Newton, Mass., she was the daughter of the late William P. and Joanne (Alexander) Bergen.

Diane grew up in Natick, and was a 1974 graduate of Natick High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from UMass Boston and a master’s degree in political science from Northeastern University.

She was most recently a teacher in the Maine school system. For many years she worked at the Crane Herb Co. in Mashpee.

Diane was an oil paint artist, loved animals, the preservation of nature and Cape Cod.

She is survived by two sisters, Kathleen Sakovitz and her husband, Steve, and their daughter, Katie, all of Framingham, Mass., and Carol Bergen of Eastham and her partner, Judy Jalbert; her beloved dog Frompy; good friends Greg Barry of Rumford Center, Maine, George McEleny of Framingham, Mass., Frank Tortora of Boston, and Dawn Mottinger of Pennsylvania.