Mary Kathryn Payne

MARY KATHRYN “Katie” FORSYTHE PAYNE. “I once was blind, but now I see.” Mom was born on August 19, 1924 to Clyde and Willie Tyree Crosthwait Forsythe in Dyersburg, Tennessee, and entered the presence of Christ on April 18, 2012, surrounded by her family at her home in Memphis. While her mother taught at the local nursery school, Mom learned responsibility at a very early age and kept a watchful eye on her two younger sisters, Jean Forsythe Spence and Ginger Forsythe Shelton. Mom attended Dyersburg High School and met a very handsome football player named Thomas Ward Payne from Newbern High School on a blind date. Dad won her heart, and they eloped to Hernando, Mississippi the day after Mom graduated from high school and were married by the local Justice of the Peace on May 31, 1942. They shared 69 years of love and friendship until Dad went to Heaven just 61 days before Mom. She cared for Dad as much as she physically could until his last breath when she assured him that “I will see you soon.” She lived out on a daily basis. “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not evil, all the days of her life.” (Proverbs 31: 10-12). As Dad was serving his nation in World War II, Mom moved to Memphis to work at Kroger and roomed with her life-long friend, Virginia Cobb. Once Dad returned home from Europe, he and Mom built their life together in Memphis by purchasing a small home in the first subdivision built after the war and remained in their home for 66 years until both of them saw the Lord face to face. While Dad worked at South Central Bell for 45 years, Mom was a fulltime homemaker and mother. They raised two daughters, Susan Lynn Payne Sanders (Kenneth deceased) and Mary Ann Payne Cole (Steve), and a granddaughter, Heather Lynn Davis. Mom faithfully taught us many lessons by her example in our home. Mom pursued all of her activities with her whole heart and sought to do all things with excellence. She was rarely idle. While she neither read music or played an instrument, she loved music and knew when we weren’t “doing it right” during our piano practice times and let us know as much. She modeled for us, “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” (Proverbs 31: 17, 27). Mom knew Jesus Christ as her Lord, and she delighted in serving Him by serving others. She was an active member at Macon Road Presbyterian Church and fondly recalled teaching little ones the love of Jesus in Sunday school. She was also a faithful member of Highland Heights Presbyterian Church (EPC) where she enjoyed overseeing crafts for the children in VBS and hosting the Friendship Class in he home. Working with children brought Mom some of her greatest delights in her life. She spent many happy hours either as a room mother, a teacher assistant, or as a substitute teacher for all of her girls’ schools at some point in their lives. Though not “professionally trained” to be a teacher, Mom had the God-given gift of teaching. She had the powerful combination that every great teacher has - a will of steel, or what we fondly refer to as the “Forsythe spirit” and a love of children which remained part of her until her last breath. All the neighborhood kids and church youth group outings seemed to end up at Mom and Dad’s house, and she was always welcoming and willingly fed the “masses” that came. She had a keen intuition about her children and could easily pick up when we’d had a bad day. Seldom a day passed that we didn’t sit on the end of our parent’s spindle bed and relate the day’s activities - good, bad, or indifferent - to Mom as she listened. She loved to learn and was excited to teach others how to cook, bake, cake decorate, paint, sew, smock, or garden. Mom lived out “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” (Proverbs 31:26). Mom’s other great delight was being “Nanny” to her four grandchildren, Joanna Sanders Lemmon (Andy) of Starkville, MS, John Sanders of Oxford, MS, Maggie Sanders of Memphis, TN, and Thomas Wyatt Cole of Memphis, TN, as well as to her two great-grandsons, Michael Thomas Lemmon and Henry Andrew Lemmon. Mom loved taking her grandchildren out school shopping each fall, and she delighted in having every member of the family together every Christmas on Christmas Day. Before she lost her vision, Mom loved sewing and smocking for her children and grandchildren. We were always proud to wear our new Easter and Christmas outfits that she had made for us, and we loved it when she made new Barbie doll clothes for our Barbies when we were little. It was rare to not find her with some “craft” project going or planning some type of homemade gifts for her fiends or for the many teachers who taught her children. She was the epitome of a Southern cook and baker, and she was very proud that she won first place in the Mid-South Fair for homemade divinity. We relish that she joyfully and faithfully prepared wonderful evening meals for us as a family, and we have wonderful memories of sitting around after dinner talking together as a family about our day and current events. “She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household...She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet” (Proverbs 31: 15a, 21). Mom began losing her sight nearly 25 years ago due to a series of detached retinas and various eye complications. With each level of vision that she lost, she continued to focus on what she could still do and taught us perseverance by the way in which she handled her gradual loss of vision that eventually led to complete blindness. She developed a very keen sense of touch and amazed us constantly by all the things she could do for herself. She rarely let us do for her. Mom was fiercely independent, wanting to do thing by herself and in her own way. She was the definition of determination and resilience and made us laugh frequently by her quick, sharp wit. She taught us through her life, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come.” (Proverbs 31:25). Though we will miss her greatly in this earthly life, we confidently know that she can now sing, “I once was blind but now I see,” and we will be reunited again with her and Dad in Heaven when the Lord calls us Home. In addition to her girls and grandchildren, Mom also leaves behind our extended family of loving caregivers, Geneva McKinnie, Tynja Green, Jovitta Henderson, Betty Jarrett, and Debra Jones who have cared for Mom and Dad as their very own parents. The family would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to them and to the staff of Crossroads Hospice for all their support, love, and care of both Mom and Dad for these last months of their lives. A visitation and celebration of Mom’s life will be held at Memphis Funeral Home Poplar Chapel on Sunday, April 22, from 3-5 p.m. Graveside services are planned for Monday, April 23 at 2 p.m. at Rehoboth United Methodist Church Cemetery in Newbern, TN. The family requests that memorials be made to Highland Heights Presbyterian Church (EPC) or Briarcrest Middle School Library. “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:28-31). Online condolences may be expressed at www.memphisfuneralhome.net Memphis Funeral Home And Memorial Gardens 5599 Poplar Ave. (901)725-0100

.Published in The Commercial Appeal on April 21, 2012