Obituary of Lloyd Payne

Lloyd leaves to mourn his passing: his loving wife Betty; son Daryl and daughter Lori Ann; sister Vivienne and George Popowich; nieces: Joyce and Miles Jurke, Leahsa and Todd Fisher; nephews: Gerald and Holly Popowich, Glen and Christine Popowich, Randal and Carmen Payne; Trever and Tiffany Payne, Clayton Payne; seven great nieces, one great great niece and five great nephews, also many many cousins, friends and neighbours. Lloyd was predeceased by his son Arnold in 1971; his father Norman in 1995; his mother Kathleen in 1997; brother Kenneth in 1993 and brother Allen in 2006. Tribute Lloyd Cecil Payne To my brothers and me he was "Dad". All of you here today knew my Dad on some level, both directly and indirectly. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you what a truly remarkable and amazing man my Dad was. A man I admired and looked up to my whole life for the love and affection he bestowed upon us and for the way he protected and nurtured us. There was nothing my Dad couldn't do. Many words and phrases come to mind when describing my Dad: loving, caring, strong, brave, wise, generous, hardworking, dedicated, compassionate, determined, stubborn, and unwavering in his convictions and beliefs. He never hesitated helping someone in need and he would stand up for those he felt were being wronged in some way. One of the things he loved to do more than anything was to tell stories to anyone young or old within earshot that would provide him a captive audience. Many of his stories were ones that he would tell over and over again, but every time he recounted them, he would do it with the same enthusiasm and attention to detail as if it was the first. One thing about my Dad, no one could ever accuse him of rushing a story, omitting any details, or being succinct. His life's journey took him down many paths and roads. As a young man he grew up on the farm helping work the land, trouble-shooting equipment issues and problems, and ultimately becoming one of those men who could fix pretty much anything that crossed his path. He was a tremendous athlete who loved, played, and excelled in many sports such as hockey and golf. However, to my Dad the sport and game he held most dear was baseball. The skill and talent he possessed afforded him the opportunity to play in a professional league for a time. He even had the opportunity to go further, but the thought of leaving his family and friends was too much and he decided at that point never to stray far from home. Eventually, he met a beautiful and wonderful young lady named Betty Jean Steinkey. Not too long after that first meeting he realized just how special she was and asked her to married him. My Mom was without question the love of his life; his soul mate. Almost immediately after saying their I Dos, they moved from the farm into a little town on the Alberta side, still not too far from home, called Marwayne. Soon after, Dad began working at the Marwayne Seed Cleaning Plant where within a short time he became the manager, resulting in a career that ended up lasting 42 years. Over the years he had many opportunities to uproot his family and move but turned each of them down. Once again staying true to form making the decision to never stray too far from home. There must have been something very special about this place in his heart and mind because he and my Mom have called it home for the last 49 years. Dad was blessed with becoming a father 3 times over to sons Arnold and Daryl, and daughter Lori Ann. He was a very loving and affectionate father and he was so very proud of each of us as we were and are different in many ways. Dad was always very involved with every aspect of our lives becoming our teacher, mentor, coach, and confidant. With all his children, he was there to put us on our two-wheel bike for the first time, mend a scraped knee, help us with our homework, cheer us on at the hockey rink and ball diamond, tuck us in at night, and teach us many life lessons and skills. Unfortunately, life can include many difficult obstacles and tragedies and nothing is more tragic than the loss of a child; something my parents were faced with quite early on in their married life. When Arnold suddenly left us Dad found the strength and courage to not blame, but to forgive, let go, and move on, however, he never allowed a day to go by in which he didn't think lovingly and adoringly of his first born son. My Dad was the type of person who enjoyed a challenge and loved learning and experiencing new things. Because of this, his accomplishments were many and he wore almost too many hats to count. He was a self-taught musician and could play both the piano and guitar beautifully. One of my fondest memories as a child was that of my Dad playing the guitar and singing to me in his wonderful voice. He would always make me think the song he was singing was especially written just for me, and in a way it was. He was also an amazing dancer perhaps the best around, which was evidenced by his full dance card at every family wedding and function he ever attended. Although he was the dance partner of choice for many ladies in attendance, his favourite partner was always my Mom. To me whenever they danced it looked like they were floating on air. Dad started his own skate sharpening business out of my parent's garage mainly because he new he could do better than what was available at that time. Sure enough, he was right. What began as a hobby and a whim turned into my Dad becoming the premier skate sharpener in the land. He was so good at it that at one point the professional league came calling and offered him a contract, but once again, he chose to stay put and not leave his beloved home. He was an honorary auxiliary RCMP for several years with both the Kitscoty and Vermilion detachments. This was something my Dad absolutely loved and his eyes would sparkle and light up every time he recounted tails and stories from outings with his RCMP buddies. In a way, I think he felt like he missed his calling, but he realized that he ended up with the best of both worlds. Municipal politics eventually came calling and he became an obvious choice to represent Marwayne on town council. He was an elected official for 7 years, 5 of which were as Mayor. This gave him the opportunity to make a difference and put his mark on the town he loved and called home. My Dad never lost his love of farming and every fall he would offer up his expertise, knowledge, and services to many local farmers to assist with the harvest. This was a time of year he always looked forward to with excitement and enthusiasm. Over the last few years my Dad's health became more and more of an issue for him. Remarkably, this past Sunday was the anniversary of his heart transplant, which allowed him to be with us for another 6 years; years that we will always cherish but yet still feel like it wasn't nearly long enough. This past year had been especially difficult for my Dad with his declining health interfering with his ability to continue doing all of the things he wished he could. But for as ill as he was, he always managed to figure out a way to sharpen that one pair of skates, re-furbish that rifle, overhaul that lawn mower, and just plain tinker around in his garage; things that made him most happy. I know that my Dad touch many of your lives just like many of you touched his. He cherished all of your friendship, love, and support. The most important part of life to him was the people he held most dear. None were more close to him than is only sister Vivienne, his late brothers and parents, and of course most of all my Mom, Daryl, Arnold, and me. The loss of my Dad will forever be felt and we will all miss him more than words can express. One comfort to me, my Mom and Daryl is knowing that you are now with Arnold and that one day our family will be together again. Our loss is the Lord�s gain. I love you Dad. PAYNE ~ Lloyd Cecil Payne of Marwayne, Alberta passed away on Thursday, October 14, 2010 at the age of 71 years in the University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton. Lloyd was born on August 11, 1939 in the Lloydminster hospital to Norman and Kathleen Payne. He spent all of his growing up years in the Greenwood district north of Lloydminster. Lloyd leaves to mourn his passing his loving wife Betty, son Daryl of Marwayne, and daughter Lori Ann (Sutton) of Calgary; his sister Vivienne (George) Popowich of Blackfoot, sisters-in-law Fay Payne of Lloydminster, Arlene Scherer of Medicine Hat, Phyllis Magnuson of Lloydminster, Annette Wunder (Mike) of Lloydminster, and brother-in-law Lloyd Steinkey of Lloydminster. He will also be missed by many nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and one great, great, niece as well as many cousins, friends, and neighbours. Lloyd was pre-deceased by his eldest son Arnold in 1971, his father Norman in 1995, his mother Kathleen in 1997, and his brothers Kenneth in 1993, and Allen in 2006. The funeral service was conducted from the Marwayne Alliance Church in Marwayne, Alberta Thursday, October 19, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. with Reverend Michael Stonhouse officiating. A tribute to her Dad was written and read by Lori Ann. Hymns sung during the service were "The Old Rugged Cross" and "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" with accompaniment and music by Sandra Kneen. The soloist was Yvette Barnett who sang "Amazing Grace" and "Fly" (Celine Dion). The interment took place immediately following the service at the Marwayne cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster provided all of the funeral arrangements. If anyone would like to read the Tribute by Lori Ann, please visit McCaw's website at www.mccawfuneralservice.com. CARD OF THANKS We would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Landsberg of the Border City Clinic Lloydminster, the doctors and nurses of the University of Alberta Hospital and the Mazankowski Heart Institute in Edmonton for their professional and compassionate care they gave Lloyd while he was a patient. To Reverend Michael Stonhouse for officiating at the service and his words of comfort. To Lori Ann Sutton for her Tribute to her Dad; to Joyce Jurke for the scripture reading and to Phyllis Magnuson for the poetry reading; to Yvette Barnett for her beautiful singing and to Sandra Kneen for playing the keyboard and providing the music. A special thank you to the Pallbearers Gerald Popowich, Glen Popowich, Trever Payne, Clayton Payne, and Miles and Joyce Jurke. Thank you to Colleen Hozack and her helpers for making and serving the lovely lunch. To all of our family, friends, and neighbours for all of your love, support, and prayers during this very difficult time. For all of the phone calls, visits, cards, flowers, food, monetary gifts, and the donations made in memory of Lloyd; your thoughfulness will never be forgotten. To the McCaw family and staff; thank you for being the compassionate and caring family that you are. In lieu of thank you cards, a donation has been made to the Marwayne Cemetery fund. Donations in memory of Lloyd may be made to the Mazankowski Heart Institute or to a charity of the donors choice.