Diane Nemerov was born in 1923 in New York City. Her father owned a fashionable Fifth Avenue department store called Russeks. His wife, Gertrude Russeks', family founded it and it is now defunct. The family lived in an apartment on Central Park West as they were comfortably wealthy. They were a very prosperous family which lead to Diane's sheltered childhood. She was educated at the Fieldstone and Ethical Culture schools which were very progressive institutes. This meant an overly protective, overly organized childhood during which she broke the monotony and boredom by being naughty. She defied the security provid