Beloved director at Eastpointe High School killed in head-on crash

Eastpointe High School mourns social worker killed in crash

Diana Carmichael-Owens, 64, died after being struck head-on by another vehicle that crossed the center lane, according to police.

EASTPOINTE, Mich. (FOX 2) - A 64-year-old woman lovingly known as "Doctor D" by the students she worked with was killed in a head-on collision this week.

Diana Carmichael-Owens had a passion for helping kids. She worked as the Youth Developmental Director at Eastpointe High School.

"She always made sure she let you know that she loved you," said Eyainna McClain, a student.

Diana Carmichael-Owens (Provided by Eastpointe High School)

Doctor D is strongly missed at the high school.

She died after being struck head-on by another vehicle that crossed the center lane from the opposite direction on Tuesday, according to police. The crash took place at 15 Mile and Schoenner in Sterling Heights.

Head-on collision that killed Diana Carmichael-Owens on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2024.

"If I seen her in the hallway, I’d yell ‘DOC’ and she’d turn around and look at me," another Eastpointe High School student, Ace McNabb, told FOX 2. "She had a major impact on my life… I just hope wherever she is, she's looking down on us, being proud of how we are."

McClain and McNabb are just two high schoolers who say Doctor D changed their lives. She helped troubled children stay out of the criminal justice system through peer mediation and allowing them to see their true potential.

"She had a unique ability to see potential in kids, especially those who struggle with conflict," said the assistant superintendent at Eastpointe Community Schools, Stephanie Fleming.

McClain said Doctor D even inspired her to want to become a social worker.

"When I was about to get suspended, she pulled me to the side and told me she wanted to meet with me when I came back and talk to me," McClain said. "And ever since that time I went back to her, I’ve been back every day to her office because she just understood me so much, and she's seen the potential in me that I couldn’t see yet."

Doctor D didn't just help kids at Eastpointe High School, she was part of a nonprofit called The Resolution Center and actually worked with students from all across Michigan.

"She would train peer mediators. These kids – she treated them like family," the executive director of The Resolution Center, Craig Pappas, said. "They looked up to her, they went to her, but she relied on them to help build peace and build a positive community within the school. She loved these kids; they were her everything."

And the students she helped throughout the years miss her deeply. However, her memory and inspiration will live on.

"She changed a lot of our lives here. It’s not just me and Ace, she impacted a lot of students and I will forever keep that mediator role in her name," McClain said.