Barbara Bess Payne

Barbara Bess Payne, a longtime resident of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and loving wife, mother, and grandmother, joined her husband and son in heaven on August 28, 2017 at her home at the age of 91. She was born November 6, 1925 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Her family relocated to Miami in 1927. Barbara graduated from Miami Senior High School with honors in 1941 at the age of 16 and then matriculated to Florida State College for Women where she graduated after 3 years in 1944 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. She moved from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale in 1946 as the bride of John Houston Payne III and worked at the Miami Herald as a newspaper reporter until she reached the legal age to teach at Fort Lauderdale High School.

Her dedication to community service is punctuated by her membership in the First United Methodist Church, the Children's Opportunity Group, the Opera Guild, the Discovery Center, the Historical Society, and the Museum of Art. She served as President of Children's Opportunity Group, the Junior League of Fort Lauderdale, the Review Club, and The Little Schoolhouse, a non-profit day care center for disadvantaged children. Her tenure on the Board of Director's spanned many decades on organizations such as the Children's Home Society, Henderson Clinic, Girl Scouts of Broward County, American Red Cross, and her church. She and her husband, John, founded the Broward Division of the Children's Home Society, and The Little Schoolhouse. An avid supporter of fine music, art, reading, and travel, she was a licensed pilot. The American Cancer Society honored her as Woman of the Year in 1991. The City of Fort Lauderdale awarded her the recognition of an Honored Founder.

Barbara is survived by her children John Payne and his spouse Gale Payne; Lindsey Payne and her spouse Greg Durden; her daughter-in-law Susan Payne; grandchildren Alexandra and Mackenzie Payne; her sister, Jean Childers; and her brother-in-law Reed Payne. She was predeceased by her sisters Rosemary Register and Kay Childers, her brother Kenneth Bess, her husband John, and her son Michael. Barbara was the personification of a kind, gentle, and caring teacher that devoted her life to helping underprivileged children find beauty and acceptance in the world.

Visitation will be on Thursday, August 31st, from 5-7 PM at Fred Hunter's, 718 S. Federal Highway. The service will commence on Friday, September 1st, at 1 PM at First United Methodist Church, 101 SE 3rd Ave. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be mailed to The Little Schoolhouse, 808 NE 3rd Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301.