Mary “Diane” Wiesner (née Alsbury) was born in 1935 to Mildred Caroline Alsbury and former Vancouver Mayor Albert Thomas “Tom” Alsbury. Diane grew up in Kerrisdale and enjoyed a very loving and active upbringing along with her older brother Bruce. She had a passion for political and social conversation from a young age. Her parents often reminisced about their house being abuzz with the energy and conversation of Diane and her friends.

Diane was a proud graduate of UBC and won the British Columbia Parent-Teacher Federation Prize of $100 for heading the Graduating Class in Home Economics in 1956.

Diane first met her soulmate, Walter “Walt” Wiesner, on a summer job in Bowen Island when she was 17. They married four years later in 1956, shortly after graduating from UBC. Diane and Walt moved to Nanaimo that year where he was working for his lifelong employer, MacMillan Bloedel. There they raised their daughter Maria (born 1958) and son Bruce (born 1965), before moving to Coquitlam in 1970. The family shared many great memories during summer vacations at Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville, and later in Hawaii. Diane loved hosting family gatherings — Christmas in particular was a special time for her and the family.

Like her father, Diane was very passionate about social causes and extremely empathetic to those who did not have an easy path in life. Always leaning left in the political spectrum, she enjoyed challenging her husband Walt on his much more conservative views. As a young mother, she was particularly active in the United Church while living in Nanaimo and Coquitlam. She spent countless hours supporting church youth outreach in the community, supporting many church events, and contributing readings to church services on multiple occasions. Diane was always there for her children, driving them to their lessons and activities in her infamous lemon-yellow 1973 Mercury Comet.

With Maria and Bruce off to university, Diane and Walt enjoyed his early retirement and were avid travellers and cruisers. After Walt lost his battle with cancer in 1993, Diane continued to volunteer in the community, supporting English as a second language programs that worked directly with new Canadians and volunteering at the Terry Fox Foundation offices for many years.

Diane enjoyed her home in Coquitlam so very much, inheriting her mother’s deep passion for gardening, and took great joy from her vast yard and all the flowers, trees, and greenery it contained in its amazing gardens. She was a beloved Nana to her grandchildren: John, Holden, and Helena. Her abundant energy in later life allowed her to keep up with her young grandchildren in activities even when their parents could not. After almost 30 years of living independently in her beloved home, Diane spent her final years at Tapestry at UBC and finally at South Granville Park Lodge.

She remained feisty, spirited, and lovingly devoted to her family her entire life.