Norma Jean Payne

Norma Jean was born to Robert and Lillian Haisler on March 16, 1941 in Temple. She graduated from Temple High School in 1959, and it was during her time there that she met Milton. Their love for each other blossomed over the course of four years, and they married in 1961. After graduating, she worked at the Ira Young car dealership until her husband Milton was called upon to serve as an active duty member in the National Guard. They then moved to Louisiana, where they lived with close friends for four years.

After returning to Temple, Norma Jean and Milton learned they were going to become parents. She was blessed to become a stay-at-home mom and raise her two daughters, Leshia and Michelle. After both girls started their schooling, Norma Jean decided to go back to work part-time as a greeting card merchandiser for Hallmark in 1981 while supporting her daughters as the Room Mother at any school function she could. Before her retirement in the early 2000’s, she also pursued her passion for baking and cake decorating. Her skills were so masterful, in fact, that Norma Jean started a small business planning weddings with a dear friend and sold her beautiful cakes to the public for many years. Norma Jean loved helping people’s vision for their wedding day come to life, but the most important of all was her own daughter Leshia. She handmade every single corsage and boutonniere, as well as the bride’s bouquet that still sits proudly in Leshia’s home as a testament to her mother’s endless love and talent.

Whether it was decorating cakes, playing Forty-Two or dominos with Milton and their friends, camping at Inks Lake, creating stunningly beautiful hand-painted ceramics, or making the best Rice Krispie desserts you’ve ever had, Norma Jean put her heart into everything she did. This included being a wonderful and beautiful wife, loving mother, doting mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and even the proud driver of a Plymouth station wagon that was more “functional” than luxury to help get her family from place to place.

But amongst all of these titles, she would openly admit that her all-time favorite was when she became a Grandma. Shelby Jean was the light of her life. She attended every single band performance, theatre production, and soccer game without missing a single one, ready to cheer for her granddaughter louder than anyone else.