John Maurice Payne

July 10, 1930 ~ March 20, 2020

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of John Maurice Payne, who left us March 20, 2020.

John Maurice Payne was born on July 10, 1930 to William Russell Payne and Clara Edith Cooper Payne in Polk, Missouri. John is survived by his wife, Muriel Flanagan Payne; son, Barton Russell Payne, grandson Kyle Andrew Payne; and daughter, Dedra Payne Coffee, husband Michael Bryan Coffee, and grandchildren Dane Michael Coffee, Kara Michelle Coffee Kreisman, Averi Lauren Coffee, and Cade Robert Russell Coffee.

After graduation from college at The University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, John worked in Kansas City as a chemical engineer for Spencer Chemical Company. Spencer Chemical Company later became Gulf Oil Company. In addition his career included Northern Petroleum Chemical Company, Project Manager for Fluor Engineering Company, and lastly Bechtel, a global engineering, construction and project management company. His job involved a lot of travel overseas including Japan, Indonesia, Holland, and a long stay in China where he managed the building of a plant for Eastman Kodak Company.

In Kansas City he met his bride, Muriel Flanagan, whom he lovingly referred to as "his bride" for the rest of his life.

In addition to Kansas City, John and Muriel lived in Orange, Texas, briefly in Morris, Illinois, but Houston was home from the middle 1960's on before retiring on Lake Conroe in a home he designed and built himself.

John was preceded in death by his father, William Russell Payne, and his mother, Clara Edith Payne, both of Humansville, Missouri.

It is with heavy hearts that we mourn his passing, although we will cherish our memories of him where he will continue to live in our hearts.