Mary ‘Louise’ (Lyons) Payne || Obituary

Mary “Louise” (Lyons) Payne, January 28, 1938 – June 27, 2022, Louise Payne was born in Success, Arkansas, the first of six children to the late L.A. and Elsie Lyons on January 28, 1938. Asa child, she played the drums in elementary school, and helped her family on the share-crop farm picking cantaloupe, watermelon, and cotton. After graduating from high school in Diehlstadt Missouri, she went to work in   St. Louis as a bookkeeper for the Universal Printing Company. She met the love of her life, Mierlan Payne, on a blind date and they were married three months later on August 16, 1958. She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. Louise will always be remembered for her love for Christ and her passion for serving others. Louise worked for many years as a bookkeeper/secretary for Sewell Heating and Cooling and Averill Heating and Cooling in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2005, Mierlan and Louise decided to complete their lifelong dream of selling their possessions and became “Work Kampers” at Angel RV Park in Powderly, Texas and Hinton RV Park in Sikeston, Missouri. She was an active member at the Lamar Avenue   Church of   Christ in   Paris,   Texas.   She volunteered to help youth train for the Leadership Training for   Christ competition, was active in the Food Pantry, and helped prepare food for the Wednesday evening meals. Louise was active with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program at Paris Junior College which provided services to the Lamar County community. Mierlan and Louise moved back to Sikeston, MO to help care for her aging mother.  While in Sikeston, Louise was an active member at the Shady Acres Church of Christ and was a member of the Prayer Group. In 2019, Louise returned to Powderly, Texas with her husband and became an active member at the Westwood Church of Christ. She spent her days spoiling her husband and grandchildren. To relax, she enjoyed watching Wheel of Fortune and the Hallmark Channel. Louise passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, June 27, 2022, at the age of 84. Those left to cherish her memory include her husband of 63 ½ years, Mierlan Payne, and her children Leann (Rodney) Jackson, Rita Pringle (fiancé David Castilleo) and Leonard (Carla) Payne. Louise was blessed with loving grandchildren: Brandon (Kat) Jackson, Kristi (Elias) Roque, Garrett (Lindsey) Jackson, Jonathan Pringle, Trevor (Brittany) Pringle, Kaylynn (Mason) Dickson, Kayla Payne, and Jared (Morgan) Payne, as well as eight great-grandchildren.  She leaves behind four siblings: Alma Cloer, Arie Lyons, PriscillaLyons, and Tina Enax, as well as many in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews.  Louise Payne was preceded in death by her parents, as well as her sister, Leaquieta Gardner, and a grandson, Ryan Joseph Pringle. A Celebration of Life Service is scheduled for Thursday, June 30, at the Shady Acres Church of Christ in Sikeston, Missouri. Visitation will be at 5 p.m. with the service at 6 p.m..  A Remembrance Service is scheduled for Sunday, July 10, at the Westwood Church of Christ in Paris, Texas from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.  Burial will be at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, Missouri.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.fry-gibbs.com.