Dianne Atkins

Dianne Roberta Atkins (80) passed away comfortable and peacefully at Lionsgate Hospital, North Vancouver, surrounded by family on September 15th.

Dianne was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Margaret and Robert Lawrie on June 17, 1944. As an only child, she quickly became the center of their world. To escape the harsh winters in Winnipeg, they drove to British Columbia in 1950 to start a new life. They bought a small farmhouse on an acre of land in Maple Ridge and the story began….

Dianne was a fun-loving child, very social and loved her family and friends. In high school she was a talented majorette in a marching band. She had good hand eye co-ordination to be able to twirl the baton with grace & ease. Great smile & super cute in her uniform and boots. She played high school sports and was active on student council. Dianne graduated and shortly after ventured off with her friend Nancy Teloski to Lake Louise, B.C. where she worked cleaning cabins in the resort in the high season.
When she returned to the Lower Mainland, she rented a space with her good friend Trudy King from her Aunt and Uncle, Tom & Elaine Lawrie who she was very close with. At that time, she worked for Dickson’s Coffee (similar to Starbucks today). Dianne was so full of life, beautiful, funny, kind-hearted and extremely talented. She had a gift of being able to engage people in conversation and could easily become your friend in a short time.

She met her future Husband walking into the wrong building. She asked the Manager “what are they doing?” He said, “this is curling!”. Then she spotted Ron on the ice and asked, “is there anyone single here?” The Manager said, “yes Ron Atkins and Al Gallo”. She signed a cheque for a membership which was half her monthly salary. It was love at first sight! Ron and Dianne started dating and married on June 25th, 1965.
In 1966 Dianne & Ron (deceased 1992) started a family with two children: Kelley (58) Coquitlam, B.C. and Lori (55) Utah, USA. She has three cherished grandchildren: Christopher (33), Cameron (25) & Madison (20) who she loved dearly.

Dianne was part of a special Sorority union for over 50 years with Beta Sigma Fi. These girls were her everything next to family. They had regular meetings, organized parties, birthdays, Christmas, New Years, trips, cruises and basically celebrated life together until the end.
Dianne & her family moved several times from Burnaby through the Cities to settle and ground themselves in Maple Ridge. Dianne had an eye for design and was industrious enough to be able to DIY most projects. She was an excellent cook and the most gracious host. Entertaining was part of her life. Our family’s Christmas was always special along with all the other Holidays. If it was your Birthday there was a celebration and definitely a cake with candles.

Dianne & Ron joined the Golden Ears Curling Club and in no time Dianne became a talented player. As a result, the game brought spiels & competition, loads of good times and last but not least she made lifelong friends.

Dianne’s career was as dynamic as her personality. From Mount Seymour Ski School to Parks & Recreation at Golden Ears Provincial Park for many years with her good friend Leanne and then as a Wedding Director for Manhattan Catering. She loved the couples coming to her wide eyed looking for help organizing and making their day run seamless. Dianne was detail oriented and always made people feel like they were #1. She also worked with her Sorority sister Judy MacKinnon at a Pediatrician Doctor’s office in Metrotown. They had nothing but fun! Another position she held was at the City of Surrey. Hard not to hire her!
Dianne met Dino Maniago through Sorority at a Christmas party where he was playing Santa! Dino was a dynamic Italian guy originally from Trail, B.C. He had loads of charisma and Mom took to him right away. They had a 22-year relationship filled with love, laughter & fun. Dino’s stories were engaging even if you heard it more than once it was like you never heard it before. He had a laugh that made you laugh! Although they never married, Dino was our family (deceased February 2020). Her last professional chapter was spent with Dino, managing Parklane Garden Apartments in Prince George, B.C. They would also spend months at a time in Prince George working on the buildings themselves. Painting, repairs, gardening etc. They went through less than perfect managers over the years until Dianne found a couple to live on-site and manage the buildings. They had a feeling they were a good fit and most importantly trustworthy. Phil and Elaine Hoffarth are still there to this day.

Dianne’s slogan to live by was: Live, Love & Laugh. She did it well.
Mom….rest in peace….you have added value to all of us in this life.



A Celebration of Life for Dianne will be held on January 18th, 2025, at Vancouver Golf Club, 771 Austin Avenue, Coquitlam, B.C. from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Dianne to the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia. Donations may be sent by cheque to Suite #300 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1E2 or donate online at alzbc.org.