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They've been married for 50 years.
By Samantha Maffucci — Written on Oct 16, 2018
Before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2005, serving the state of Georgia, Johnny Isakson was the president of a real estate company and went on to become a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, serving seven terms, and was elected to the Georgia Senate, where he stayed for one term.
Like a large majority of Republicans, he was quick to back U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But amid allegations of sexual assault and misconduct, he stayed mum during the entire hearing process, although he did compliment how Chuck Grassley handled the room.
Though he wasn’t considered a swing vote, was his family life affected? Who is Johnny Isakson’s wife and what did she think about the whole ordeal? It turns out that while we don’t know much about her views, she has stood by her man through the years. Here are 6 things to know about Dianne Davison.
1. They’ve been married for 50 years.
The couple wed in 1968 and celebrated 50 years of marriage back in June.
2. They have quite a large family!
The Isaksons have three children: Kevin, John and Julie. In addition to their three grown kids, they have nine grandchildren. And they love to all spend time together. What more could you want in a family?
3. They have great communication.
Every couple dreams of having this level of open dialogue, and the Isaksons are lucky they are able to communicate so well. According to Dianne, she makes sure to schedule family parties or gatherings ahead of time.
“Johnny and I communicate very well; when he needs me for something he tells me. I’ll ask him: ‘Are you going to be home for dinner? Are you going to be home this weekend?’ I think it’s managing your time — your time together and your time apart. He is in Washington Monday through Friday. It’s a different lifestyle. It’s a matter of getting used to it and making it work for you.”
4. Their grandson passed away.
In December 2016, Isakson’s grandson died of a drug overdose the night before graduation. Charley Joyner, his son John’s stepson, was a recovering drug addict and relapsed the night before he was set to graduate college with honors. “He was a very talented athlete, he was a very smart kid — obviously being a math major and graduating summa cum laude. He was just all those things that everybody would hope their kid would be. He just got mixed up with drugs,” Isakson said.
Joyner’s death inspired Isakson to push Congress to do something about the opioid crisis, and he and Dianne have set up a scholarship fund at Georgia Southern University, where Joyner attended school. “You want to do something when there's nothing left that you can do because a loved one has passed away. You want something to feel like you're doing something good in their memory or in their name,” he said.
5. She’s supported him through his diagnosis.
In 2015, Isakson revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, though he said it would not affect his term as Senator. He released a statement that said he was able to deal with the diagnosis with the help of his wife and family:
“Over 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s and I am one of them... While I am facing this health challenge head on, I have wrestled with whether to disclose it publicly. I recently shared the news with my three grown children and my senior staff a couple of months ago. Their support, along with the steadfast support of my wife Dianne, helped me to take this step today. In the end, I decided I should handle my personal health challenge with the same transparency that I have championed throughout my career..."
6. They are Methodist.
The couple resides in Marietta, Georgia when the Senate is out of session, and attend the Mount Zion United Methodist Church. Isakson taught Sunday school there for 30 years and continues to practice his faith there as well.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.