Ronald Dean Payne

His kindness and compassion filled every room he entered. His humility and warmth were unmatched, and his presence will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Ron is survived by his wife of 30 years, Gail Payne, children; Heather Hope, Alex Payne and Adam Payne (Laura), grandchildren; Madison Bardin (Hayden), Morgan Hope (Lucas), Gracie Wilson, Alita Payne and Astra Payne, great-grandchildren, Ezra Bardin and Rowyn Bardin, siblings, Becky Barrett, Pat Lemon and Tony Payne (Page), brother-in-laws; Greg Kistler (Dale) and the late Gary Kistler (Lourdes).

Ron was truly one in a million. A master of his craft, he excelled in his profession, impacting countless lives and leaving a lasting legacy. The life he led was simply amazing. He was exceptionally hard working, extremely talented, humble, and so kind to absolutely everyone he met. His dedication to professional excellence was nothing short of inspiring and the love he had for his family was profound. Ron absolutely adored his wife Gail of 30 years, and his love for her was apparent to everyone. His children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were his pride and joy. A true family man, he loved them dearly and spent any and all free time pouring into his loved ones. He loved sharing the joys of good food and great music with his family and he took every opportunity to show them how special they were to him. He was dedicated, caring, passionate and patient, his heart was pure gold. He had a unique gift for connecting with people and sharing his faith in a way that was both genuine and heartfelt. He effortlessly brightened up all of our lives and is dearly missed. He was truly remarkable in every way a person could be and we were blessed to have him in our lives.

Ron received both his M.M.E. and B.M.E degrees (cum laude) from East Carolina University. He began his teaching career in 1976 establishing the band program at Ayden-Grifton High School. In 1984, he relocated to Independence High School for a fourteen year term, was selected for transfer to Providence High School in 1998 where he served as Director of Bands and Fine Arts Department Chair. In 2007, he was appointed and served as Director of Bands and Music Department Chair at Charlotte Latin School until his final retirement in June of 2017, finishing with forty-two years of credited service.

Many bands throughout his career were consistent superior bands. Under his baton, bands in 1987 and 2003 from two different high schools were selected as featured performers at the North Carolina Music Educators Association In-Service conference. He was conferred the status of both Nationally Registered and Nationally Certified Music Educator by the Music Educators National Conference in September 1991. He was a past president of the North Carolina Bandmasters Association and served many years in numerous capacities on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Music Educators Association. Peers honored him by electing him as the State Chairman of the American School Band Director’s Association and colleagues in NCBA awarded him the prestigious Award of Excellence for outstanding achievements and contributions to public school bands in 1993. In June of 2006, he received the Citation of Excellence from the National Band Association and in May of 2007, he was presented one of nineteen Star Teacher Awards from the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System. He considered his selection by his NCBA peers to serve as the 2009 High School All-State Honors Band clinician to be one of the highlights of his career.

In November 2012, he was elected by his peers to membership in the North Carolina Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame. In May of 2014, the faculty and staff of Charlotte Latin elected him as the recipient of the Paulyn A. Fleem Award for outstanding service to the school. In June 2018 at their national convention the America School Band Directors Association, presented him with their prestigious Edwin Frank Goldman Award in appreciation and gratitude for outstanding personal contributions to the school band movement. In December of 2021, he was accepted as a member of the ASBDA Foundation, a committee whose ultimate goal is to support “the Greater Good” of the school band movement.

In 2023, he served as Choir Director for Blair Road United Methodist Church.

His professional memberships include American School Band Directors Association, National Association for Music Education, North Carolina Music Educators Association, Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Mu Alpha.

Services to celebrate Ron's life will be held on Saturday, April 13th, 2024. The family will receive friends from 10:00am to 11:30am at Weddington Methodist Church 13901 Providence Rd. Weddington, NC 28104. A Memorial Service will follow at 11:30am.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Ron Payne Commission Fund.

Ron was an exceptional band director who profoundly impacted and shaped the lives of thousands of students throughout his career. In tribute to his remarkable legacy, a band piece will be commissioned in his honor. This will ensure that his memory continues to inspire students, musicians, and directors for generations to come. Ron was a dedicated member of the American School Band Directors Association (ASBDA), an organization that played a significant role in his life. ASBDA will collect funds for this commission.

Donations can be in two ways:

1. Checks can be made out to ASBDA NC and mailed to:

ASBDA

c/o Tracy Humphries

904 Mirkwood Ln.

Monroe, NC 28110

2. Donations can be made online (https://donorbox.org/ron-payne-commission-fund).