A London woman is being remembered fondly as a passionate mother whose confidence spread to her young daughter, who had the “flare of a Broadway star.”
Friends and family of Sarah Payne, 42, and Freya Payne, 5, filled the pews of First-St. Andrew’s United Church, for a memorial service nine days after the tragic head-on crash on the 401 that claimed their lives.
“Freya packed a great deal into her life,” said Nicky Trinca, whose family shares a cottage with the Paynes at Rondeau Provincial Park. She described the young girl as being a “breath of fresh air,” who was “always jumping around.”
“She would have gone on to make such a great impact on this world,” Trinca explained, noting how Freya approached everything with unwavering confidence, just like her mother.
Rondeau is one of many communities where Sarah’s heart was said to belong. She grew up in P.E.I., met her husband Mike at a hospital in Ottawa, and moved to London where she worked at Parkwood Institute as an occupational therapist.
“They began to create the life they dreamed of,” said BJ Willis, her stepmother.
Tears flowed during a rendition of Sarah McLachlan’s Ice Cream, written and recorded for her by her husband and their two children for Mother’s Day.
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Towards the end, a small voice rang out on the recording.
“Thanks for making such good suppers, Mommy.”
Sarah and Freya were killed when a pickup truck driving east crossed the Highway 401 median near Dutton and collided with their westbound van.
The Paynes’ six-year-old son and the 56-year-old Cambridge man driving the truck survived the crash and are recovering.
No charges have been laid in the case, but police continue to investigate.