Mary Frances Payne

Mary Frances Payne died on July 11, 2013 in Bryan, Texas. She "fought the good fight...finished the race and kept the faith" (2 Timothy 3:7) through her last breath. Family and friends marveled at her ability to face life head-on and adjust to the changes as her world grew smaller and smaller. Mary Frances was born March 16, 1923. She was raised by her mother Bessie Barnett LaRoe and step-father Frank LaRoe, now deceased. Her sister, Dottie LaRoe Keetch of Dallas, Texas, survives her. Her brother William Harold Binion was killed in November of 1944, while serving with the Marines in the South Pacific. On November 9, 1940, Mary Frances married Walter Marshall Payne, Jr. in Kaufman, Texas where they remained for the next 58 years, raising three children and supporting them in their various endeavors. Walter died in September, 1998 and Mary Frances moved to Paris, Texas a year and a half later, leaving behind a lifetime of friends but reaching out in faith to new ones. In both Kaufman and Paris she loved her home and her yard and flowers as well as her women's Sunday School classes. She was happiest when her house and yard were filled with family and friends, especially when family included her grandchildren and great grandchildren. In February, 2007, Mary Frances moved from Paris to Carriage Inn, a retirement center in Bryan, Texas where she soon had the most beautiful flower garden in the complex. Having experienced the trauma of being the newcomer in Paris and in Bryan, she made it her goal to greet each new resident and personally escort her to the dining room. She was kind and gracious to all the staff and they returned that graciousness with love. The same attitude prevailed when she moved to Crestview Retirement Center in Bryan, where she lived until her death. Mary Frances is also survived by her children Melissa Payne Pilcher and husband Ben of Georgetown, Texas; Marsha Payne Tomlin and husband Pat of College Station, Texas; and Bill Payne and wife Linda of Dallas, Texas; along with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, who knew her as "Mi-Mi" all their lives, Todd and Abbie Tomlin and children, Sally and Charlotte of Dallas, Texas; Judd and Olivia Payne of Los Angeles, California; Walter and Debbie Pilcher and children Jacob, Matthew and Rebekah of Round Rock, Texas; Ali and Jay Survant and children, Wyatt and Rebecca of Houston, Texas; Stephen and Diane Pilcher of Houston, Texas; and Mary Payne and husband Rick Young and daughter Olive Young of Los Angeles, California. . In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Morrow's Chapel Cemetery, P. O. Box 342, Kaufman, Texas 75142 or to Hospice Brazos Valley, 502 West 26th Street, Bryan, Texas 77803.