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Celebrating the life of Charles Franklin Payne
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Obituary for Charles Franklin Payne
Charles Franklin Payne (75) stepped into Glory in the early morning hours of Sunday, February 6th, 2022 at his home surrounded by his children. The son of Ben and Faye Payne, he was born a true-to-form Texan, fiercely independent with a cowboy spirit on September 30th, 1946. His father’s work took them to Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada, and he spent his childhood learning hockey and appreciating the weather in the “Great White North”. He always spoke of this period of his life with fondness, especially having the love of his doting older sister, Bennie. He moved to McComb, Mississippi in his teenage years where he would meet the love of his life, the radiant Cheryl Hopper. As high school sweethearts, their unstoppable love story is one for the ages. The class of 1965 of McComb High School provided him with beautiful lifelong friendships that he valued to the very end of his life.
After spending his freshman year at Louisiana State University, he and Cheryl both returned to Mississippi where they attended Millsaps College in Jackson. Directly after graduation, it was said they couldn’t wait to be married, and wed on Tuesday, June 3rd in the summer of 1969. He loved telling stories of the early years of marriage especially of the hysterical woes of Cheryl’s cooking. He and Cheryl had beautiful friendships from the start, friends who walked this life so well with them through the highs and lows. He loved recounting trips to New York to the US Open with friends from River Hills, ski trips with dear friends, and trips to the beach with his family. It is said that Charlie Payne was the life of the party—always the last to leave. For the friends who knew him well, we are sure that you can still hear him answer the telephone with his boisterous welcome of “Yo Bud!”
He and Cheryl settled into life in Jackson. He embarked in a career with Pruet and Hughes Oil Company as a landman and his own company P & F Exploration, a job he always spoke of with a twinkle in his eye as he reminisced the past. In 1975, Charles Kincaid made him a father, his favorite role that he played in this life. They later welcomed their daughter, Carter in the winter of 1981. The tapestry of his life was full of meaningful work; his work at Mass Mutual as a life insurance agent proceeded by his business AllSouth Appraisal, and then his time spent with his son in their car business.
None of his work compared to his role as a father and friend. His family was his pride and his joy. For those of you who beared witness to his passionate yelling on the side lines, you know that he never missed a sporting event of his children’s; whether that was baseball games, soccer tournaments, or running events. Charlie had a beautiful heart and a welcoming spirit, and he and Cheryl’s home was always a place where others felt welcomed and loved.
Cheryl passed in 2008, a moment that we and Charlie never fully recovered from. He was always grateful for the friends and family that carried him after this great loss. He invested time at Saint James’ Episcopal Church and completed a 4-year program there called Education for Ministry. He loved the souls that were a part of this chapter of his life. Charlie and Cheryl loved to deliver their famous Christmas tree pastries, a tradition he continued in her memory. He filled the last decade of his life with the joy of watching his children becoming parents and his grandchildren grow up. He loved being a Grandfather. He delighted in his Sunday suppers with friends who are family. Charlie became an incredible bridge player, a game he loved throughout his life but in his later years gave him so much more than a game to play; it gave him friends whom he loved and adored and who loved him so well in return.
Charlie was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer in December of 2021, a diagnosis that would not define his life but would lead to his next glorious and grand adventure. He fought with grace and courage but longed to be in his true home. We know that he ran to the light and that the party was ready for him.
He is preceeded in death by his loving and beautiful wife Cheryl Hopper Payne, his parents Ben and Faye Payne, his brother-in-law Jack Flesher, and his favorite grand-dog Duncan Milner. He leaves behind his sister, Bennie Flesher, his brothers-in-law Thad Hopper and Larry Allen, his son, Charles Kincaid Payne (Sereena), his daughter, Carter Payne Milner (Matt), and his loving grandchildren Ashlynn, Branson, Luke, and Peyton and many nieces and nephews.
He would tell you to take care of yourselves and that love is always the answer. We would be honored if you would join us in celebrating Charlie’s beautiful life on Wednesday, February 9th at Saint James’ Episcopal Church in Jackson, MS, with visitation at 10am and service at 11am. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in honor of Charlie to a charity of your choice, to the Jackson Bridge Association, or to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Division of Hematology and Oncology.
We are forever grateful to the friends and family who have lifted him and us up during this time. We are grateful for the physicians and nurses who provided him with the best care during his final chapter. Charlie walked this journey so well and we are forever grateful that he was ours.
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