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Payne Family Songbook
A collection of personalized songs created to honour the people, stories, memories, and love woven through the Payne family and those connected to us. Some songs celebrate birthdays and milestones.
The Payne Family Songbook begins with our roots and follows the branches of the family tree through songs created to honour the lives, memories, and love carried from one generation to the next.
The Payne Roots
From Ontario to Cheadle
For James Arthur Wesley Payne and Emma Jane Kennings Payne
This song begins the Payne Family Songbook by honouring James and Emma Payne, who left Strathroy, Ontario in 1909 and built a new life on the prairie near Cheadle, Alberta.
Their story is one of hard work, farm life, cattle, grain, family, and the imperfect but lasting roots that shaped generations of the Payne family.
Where the Water Runs
For Arthur William Payne
This song honours Arthur William Payne, born April 8, 1914, and raised on the family farm near Cheadle, Alberta. It tells the story of a hardworking father, athlete, ditchrider, and quiet man of strong values whose love was shown more through actions than words.
From the Western Irrigation District canals to the frozen canal where father and son passed a hockey puck back and forth, this song preserves the memories, lessons, and love that still run through the family today.
She Showed Up When It Counted
For Katherine (Katie) Schmidt Payne
This song honours a woman whose life was shaped by prairie hardship, family responsibility, sacrifice, and quiet strength. Born in 1915 near Hanna, Alberta, she lived nearly 101 years and carried the kind of resilience that came from a generation that simply kept going.
Her love was shown through presence, endurance, and the steady way she showed up when it counted most.
Bryan & Maureen Payne's Family
“the song that started it all.”
The Man He Chose to Be
For Bryan Payne
This song honours Bryan Payne, whose life and legacy became the starting point for what would eventually grow into RHP Audio Studio’s Celebration of Life songs.
It tells the story of a man shaped by hard beginnings, prairie toughness, work, family, love, and later-life softness. With the powerful theme “he lived hard, he loved deep,” this song remembers Bryan as a man who was rough around the edges, deeply loved Maureen, his daughters, and his grandchildren, and ultimately became the man he chose to be.
We Loved You the Best Way We Knew How
Bryan and Maureen to Angie, Connie, Tayler, and Nathan
This song is written as a heartfelt message from Bryan and Maureen to their family, bringing together the love, honesty, and legacy they left behind. It speaks to Angie and Connie as daughters, and to Tayler and Nathan as grandchildren, with the tender reminder that love is not always shown perfectly, but it can still be deep, lasting, and real.
Together, Bryan and Maureen offer a message of pride, comfort, and love that continues through the family they helped build.
Love Out Loud
Tayler to Maureen
This song is written from Tayler’s heart to her Grandma Maureen, reflecting on the memories, love, and time she wishes they could have shared.
It captures the feeling of being young when someone important leaves too soon, then growing older and realizing just how much their love shaped you. Honest, tender, and deeply personal, this song lets Tayler say what she may not have had the words or years to say before.
I’ve Been With You All Along
Maureen to Tayler
This song is written as Maureen’s loving answer to her granddaughter Tayler, offering the words Tayler’s heart longed to hear. It carries a grandmother’s message of comfort, pride, and reassurance — reminding Tayler that love does not disappear with time, and that Maureen has been proud of the woman she has become all along.
Standing Strong
For Angie, in remembrance of her mom, Maureen
This song was created for Angie in remembrance of her mother, Maureen, and the deep love that continues after loss. It honours the strength it takes to carry grief while still moving forward, holding onto the lessons, memories, and love a mother leaves behind.
“Standing Strong” is a tribute to Angie’s resilience, and to the lasting bond between a daughter and her mom.
David & Bea (Payne) Damen Family
The Way She Heard the World
For Beatrice “Bea” Payne Damen
This song honours Beatrice “Bea” Payne, who became hearing impaired as a young child but learned to experience life through lip reading, sign language, resilience, and heart.
From her years at the School for the Hearing Impaired in Edmonton to softball, farm life near Strathmore, her children, and the garden she loved, Bea’s story is one of strength, beauty, and a life fully lived. Though she passed away far too young, this song celebrates the unique and powerful way she heard the world.
Hold On To Tomorrow
For Debbie Damen Campbell, in remembrance of daughter, Jalene
This song was created for Debbie in remembrance of her daughter, Jalene, whose life ended far too soon at the age of 25. Rather than focusing only on grief, “Hold On To Tomorrow” carries a message of love, loss, hope, and the importance of holding on through the darkest moments.
It honours Jalene’s memory while also speaking gently to anyone who may need to hear that tomorrow is still worth reaching for.
Milt & Cammie Payne Family
Where Prairie Meets the Sea
For Milt and Cammie
This song tells the story of when Milt and Cammie met, bringing together two lives, two backgrounds, and the beginning of a love that became part of the family story.
With the prairie and the sea as its central images, it reflects the beauty of two different worlds finding one another and building something lasting together. This tribute honours the start of their journey, the love they shared, and the memories that continue through those who loved them.
Echoes by the Sea
For Cammie Payne
This song honours Cammie’s life, memory, and the love she left behind. With the image of the sea carrying her presence forward, “Echoes by the Sea” reflects the way a loved one’s voice, kindness, and spirit can continue to be felt long after goodbye.
It is a gentle tribute to remembrance, family, and the lasting echoes of a life deeply loved.
Ninety Years Blessed
For Milton Payne's 90th birthday
This song celebrates Milt’s 90th birthday by honouring a life shaped by family, love, memories, and gratitude. It reflects the blessing of reaching such a milestone while recognizing the people, places, and moments that helped make his story meaningful.
“Ninety Years Blessed” is a warm tribute to Milt’s life, his family, and the legacy carried forward through those who love him.
Robert & Marilyn Payne's Family
Still Worth Saving
For Marilyn Payne
This song honours Marilyn with honesty, compassion, and love. It remembers the woman beyond the struggles she faced, holding space for both the pain of her journey and the love that remained. “Still Worth Saving” is a deeply personal tribute to Marilyn’s memory and a reminder that every life has value, even through its hardest chapters.
He Is Still My Brother
For Rob & Bryan Payne
This song reflects on the bond between brothers — the shared childhood, the differences, the distance, the complicated moments, and the love that remains underneath it all.
Written from a deeply personal place, “He Is Still My Brother” honours Bryan not only as a man with his own life story, but as the brother who was part of Rob’s earliest memories, family roots, and growing-up years. It is an honest tribute to brotherhood, memory, and the ties that time and loss do not erase.
The Payne Branches
A Century of Grace
For Viola Payne Brown
This song honours Viola, a beloved Payne cousin and sister to June, whose life has carried a century of memories, faith, family, strength, and quiet grace.
As part of the wider Payne family branches, her story reflects the endurance of a generation that lived through change, held close to family, and left a gentle legacy through the years. This tribute celebrates not only the length of her life, but the grace with which she has lived it.
Ninety-Five Years of Grace
For June Payne Stewart's 95th birthday
This song celebrates June’s 95th birthday by honouring a life filled with faith, family, love, and lasting joy. Rather than focusing only on the milestone, it reflects the deeper blessings of her life — her love for the Lord, her two daughters, and especially the grandchildren and great-grandchildren who mean so much to her.
“Ninety-Five Years of Grace” is a warm birthday tribute to a woman whose legacy continues through the family she loves so deeply.