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DIANE PAYMENT
Born: Aug 17, 1945
Date of Passing: Jan 25, 2026
Send Flowers to the Family Offer Condolences or MemoryDIANE PAYMENT
It is with deep sadness that Diane Payment’s family and friends announce her sudden passing, at home, in the early hours of Sunday, January 25, 2026.
She has gone to join her dearly beloved husband Roxroy West; her parents, Anne-Marie (Maria) Lapointe, and Ulysses Payment; as well as her in-laws, Sara West Tiboldo, and Roxroy West Sr.
Left to mourn are her cousins, Gérald (Solange) Lapointe, Mariette (Richard) Joyal, Michelle Wesser, Guy Lemoine, Denis Lemoine, Louise Derksen, Maurice Gratton, Rhéal (Wendy) Gratton, Raymonde (Claude) Saurette, Carole Breyfogle, Gisèle Lapointe, Huguette (Marc) Bérard, Line Delorme, Paulette (Claude) Devigne, Marc Lapointe, Denis (Brenda) Lapointe, Paul (Lise) Lapointe, Cécile Talas, and Janet Jack; godchild André Lapointe; sister-in-law Fanny (Hansrueidi) Leuenberger West; nieces, Myriam (Alper) Turgay Leuenberger, and Nicole Leuenberger; great-nephew Naïm Turgay; uncle Gene LeRoy; close friends, Carole Le Néal, and Mariette Ferré: as well as her cherished cat, Shisma.
Diane grew up in St. Vital, a neighbourhood she left in 1973, but where she and Rox settled in 1994. Her father’s early passing, when she was only five, was a turning point in her life, since she spent most of her student years in boarding schools while her mother taught in various locations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Her convent life deeply affected her.
After graduating from high school, Diane studied at St. Boniface College. She obtained her B.Ed. from the University of Manitoba and went on to teach history at Louis Riel Collegiate from 1967 to 1973. Fascinated by the subject, in particular the history of Louis Riel and the Métis, she pursued her studies in Métis history at the University of Ottawa, where she obtained a master’s degree two years later.
Diane’s thesis, titled The Métis of Western Canada, coupled with her bilingualism, earned her a career as a historian at Parks Canada. The restoration of two national historical sites, Maison Riel and Batoche, as well as their interpretive programs, were based on her research. In 1990, Environment Canada’s Parks Service published her book “The Free People – Otipemisiwak,” Batoche, Saskatchewan, 1870-1930, whose update, The Free People – Li gens libres, published in 2009, is Diane’s flagship publication.
In recognition of Diane’s contribution to the development of Métis history, the Canadian Historical Association awarded her with a Certificate of Merit in Regional History.
Her appointment to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), where she served from 2019 to 2024, also bore witness to her accomplishments. As a board member, Diane assisted Parliamentary Secretary Kevin Lamoureux in unveiling, on behalf of Parks Canada, a HSMBC plaque at Winnipeg’s hockey for all centre commemorating the national significance of the third game in the “Series of the Century” between Canada and the USSR, which took place on September 6, 1972.
Nunavut’s government based some of its publications on the reports and interviews Diane conducted in the 1990s, for Auyuittuq National Park, on the oral history of the Inuit in Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq (Broughton Island).
Member of the Union nationale métisse and of the St. Boniface Historical Society, which she presided in 1979 to1980, Diane specialized in the history of Louis Riel, Métis women and Francophones in Western and Northern Canada. The study of history continued to fascinate her until the very last day of her life.
A woman of culture, Diane loved reading, classical music, the theatre, travelling, meeting with family and friends, as well as animals and nature.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in St. Boniface Cathedral’s Great Hall, located at 180 de la Cathédrale Avenue in Winnipeg. The service will be live-streamed at www.afh.ca. Interment of Diane’s ashes will take place in a private ceremony to be held in the spring or summer.
Diane’s family would like to thank her neighbours, who were there for her for over 30 years.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of your choice.
Publish Date: Feb 21, 2026
DIANE PAYMENT
It is with deep sadness that Diane Payment’s family and friends announce her sudden passing, at home, in the early hours of Sunday, January 25, 2026.
Funeral arrangements are pending with a full obituary to follow.
Publish Date: Jan 31, 2026
As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 31, 2026, Feb 21, 2026