Diana Rabago Payne

Diana Rabago Payne, 73, was called home on June 11, 2023, with her daughters by her side. Diana was born on January 1, 1950, in Douglas, Arizona, to Ramon Rabago Jr. and Amelia Estrada Rabago. She was the first baby born in Douglas in 1950.

Diana was a 1968 graduate of Douglas High School, working at Marty Dess Photography, and later attended Cochise College where she obtained an Associate of Arts degree. She worked for Douglas Unified School District from 1979 to 1992, as a teacher’s assistant and secretary to principal. She participated in the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) and Douglas Lioness Club. In 1992, she relocated to the Phoenix area. She became licensed with the Arizona Department of Insurance and worked in the insurance industry until 2010 when she moved back to Douglas to care for her parents.

Diana was always willing to help others in need. She enjoyed spending time with family, traveling, reading, doing crafts, and decorating her home. Diana loved spending time at her grandfather’s farm in Elfrida, Arizona, and participating in the annual apple picking. She always encouraged her daughters and granddaughters to do their very best; she was so proud of her family’s accomplishments.

Diana was preceded in death by her parents, Ramon Rabago Jr. and Amelia Estrada Rabago, and her infant brother, John Jacob. She is survived by her daughters, Vanessa Vargas and Teresa (Paul) Vargas, granddaughters McKenna, Victoria, and Kaitlyn, as well as her siblings, Alvina (Paul) Pawlik, Anthony (Anna) Rabago, Ernest (Teresa) Rabago, Robert (Mary) Rabago, and Vince Rabago. She is also survived by her uncle, Richard Rabago, her nieces, nephews, and many cousins.