OTTAWA — When Nancy Payne steps forward to lay a wreath at the National War Memorial on Remembrance Day, it will mark a moment of profound pride and emotion — one she has prepared for many times at local ceremonies, but never before on the national stage.
This year, the Royal Canadian Legion has named Payne as Canada’s National Silver Cross Mother for 2025, an honour bestowed each year on a mother who has lost a child in military service. Payne’s son, Cpl. Randy Joseph Payne, was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2006, while serving with the Canadian Armed Forces’ close protection team — a unit responsible for safeguarding top officials, including the prime minister and the chief of defence staff.
Randy was just three months into his deployment and two years into his military career when a roadside bomb struck his G-Wagon armoured vehicle as the unit was returning to Kandahar Airfield. The blast killed four Canadian soldiers in what was then the deadliest attack on Canadian forces in four years. Payne believes the Taliban had mistaken the convoy for one carrying Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, whom Randy had been assigned to protect but who had departed by helicopter the previous night.
Since that devastating day, Nancy Payne has taken part in local Remembrance Day ceremonies in Lansdowne, Ontario, laying a wreath each year in honour of her son and all fallen soldiers. Her husband, David Payne, a 30-year veteran of the Canadian infantry, has traditionally attended the larger ceremony in nearby Gananoque, ensuring their family’s presence is felt in both communities.
“We spread ourselves around so we’re both out in the community,” she said softly. “But this year, we’ll be together in Ottawa. It feels right.”
Payne admits she’s nervous about the week ahead, which will include several national events leading up to November 11. “I’m not young anymore,” she said with a laugh, “but I’m deeply honoured and humbled to represent all the mothers of Canada.”
With quiet strength and grace, Nancy Payne will carry the Silver Cross — a symbol of sacrifice and remembrance — not just for her own son, but for every Canadian mother who has lost a child in service to the nation. “It’s quite an honour,” she said. “For me, and for Randy.”