Diane Lefroy, of Vancouver, British Columbia, died in comfort at home with friends at her side, on April 6, 2023. Diane met cancer with grace and poise, modeling a path of mortality, acceptance and preparation with and for her community.
Diane was born to Lois Maureen Delong (Mother, 1927-1973) and Daryl Kenneth “Doc” Seaman (Father, 1922-2009) in Saskatoon, SK. She grew up in Calgary, AB before going to Vancouver, BC in 1966 at the age of 17 where she received her Bachelor of Arts, majoring in French at the University of British Columbia. The year following her graduation, she returned to UBC to obtain the Teaching Certificate that enabled her to teach French and other core subjects in the Lower Mainland school districts. She married at the age of 21 to Mark Lefroy. Over the next decade, she taught substitute and immersion French in local schools and then opened a fashion clothing store, Lois Prêt à Porter, in Kitsilano.
After marital separation in 1977, Diane spent several years with Outward Bound, first as a participant then assistant leader in backcountry expeditions throughout BC. Then, Diane obtained her Master of Arts in Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California in 1992, followed by the C.G. Jung Institute in Zürich, Switzerland.
While developing a private psychotherapy practice, Diane grew to be a self-taught artist and put down roots in Mount Pleasant, including helping run The Drift artist tour. When a plot of vacant land came up for sale in her neighbourhood, she saw an opportunity and purchased it. Diane then spent the last decade of her life cultivating community and collaborations, first through Project4Living Systems and Out of the Box, then co-founding and stewarding coFood Vancouver and Living Systems Network. She leaves behind a vibrant community in Mount Pleasant to carry forward the work she began in the world, bringing people together around principles and practices of a more regenerative culture.
Diane wanted to make this world a kinder, more gentle and beautiful place; in her passing, her community and her friends reflect her values.
Diane is preceded in death by her parents, Doc and Lois Seaman, brother Kenneth Seaman and nephew Scott Seaman. Diane leaves to mourn her brothers Bob Seaman (Patricia) and Gary Seaman (Valerie), her niece Kelly Seaman Hockley, and nephews Cory Seaman, Kenny Seaman, Jeff Seaman, Jessica Seaman, Oliver Seaman and Jarrod Seaman.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Growing Chefs (https://www.growingchefs.ca/), or any local-to-you charity supporting education around gardening and food production, especially for youth.
Her natural burial took place on Wednesday, April 12 at Surrey Heritage Gardens. Her celebration of life will take place on July 20, 2023 at The Beaumont Studios in Vancouver starting at 3pm.