Diane Reynolds Baynard, of Port Charlotte, Florida, passed away on October 26, 2026. Born March 26, 1948, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Eleanor and T.L. Reynolds, she grew up in Queen Anne on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

In her youth, Diane was active in 4-H, raised prize-winning African violets, and worked summers at historic Wye Plantation. She was a member of Centreville High School’s Class of 1965 and played field hockey and basketball.

In high school, Diane met Sherman Baynard. Their teenage romance became a marriage and partnership spanning more than six decades. Together they built Baynard Farms, Inc. and Baynard Farms Trucking, Inc., eventually farming approximately 1,000 acres of corn, wheat, and soybeans near Centreville, while their grain dealership became a recognizable fixture on Starr Road.

Diane was central to both businesses. She managed the books and accounting, helped with harvests and grain drying, raised their two daughters, and kept the farm’s many moving parts organized. Practical, independent, and direct, she valued efficiency, hard work, and finishing what she started.

During her daughters’ school years, Diane volunteered with the Queen Anne’s County High School marching band and became known as one of “The Uniform Ladies,” helping ensure students were ready to perform.

Diane loved fishing, gardening, reading, watching sports on TV and her old movies, the beach, plants, and her hummingbirds. She and Sherman fished Maryland’s Choptank, Chester, Corsica, and Wye Rivers, as well as waters in Texas, Florida, and the Caribbean.

Her passion for fishing led to years of conservation service. Diane helped establish the Maryland Coastal Conservation Association and develop what is now its Kent Narrows Chapter. She served on Maryland fisheries and natural-resource advisory commissions and was appointed by the Governor to represent Maryland on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Her practical knowledge contributed to fisheries management and marine conservation.

Diane and Sherman moved to Port Charlotte in 2009. Two years later, she suffered a stroke that greatly limited her speech and outdoor activities. A fifteen-year survivor, she met these changes with determination and developed a passion for jigsaw puzzles, becoming known among family, friends, and neighbors for completing even the most challenging ones.

She is survived by her husband, Sherman Baynard; daughters, Tracy Baynard (Bo Fernhall) of Hanover, Massachusetts, and Kristie Baynard of Mount Airy, Maryland; and grandchildren, Risdon Baynard-Fernhall, Torsten Baynard-Fernhall, Eleanor Van Slyke, Lillian Van Slyke, and Audrey Van Slyke.

Diane will be remembered for her hard work, independence, honesty, and determination. Her influence lives on in her family, the businesses she helped build, and the conservation efforts she supported.

A remembrance gathering, slated for Maryland, will be announced later. Memorial contributions may be made to either the Coastal Conservation Association, the American Heart Association, or the Talbot Humane Society of Maryland.