Erna Elizabeth Payne

On October 26, 2021, Erna Elizabeth Payne, mother of four and Oma (grandmother) of five passed away peacefully at age 84 with her children by her side. Erna was born on April 25, 1937 in Germany, the youngest of five siblings and the only girl.

She married Army Sergeant Basilio Dominguez Reyes in 1953 and immigrated to the United States as an enlisted wife. Raising a family in the military led to being stationed in many places including Alaska, California, Washington State, Texas, and Hawaii.

Widowed in 1967, Erna was driven to succeed in order to provide for her family and make her dreams a reality. She became a mini Real Estate mogul and owner of Laurance Paper Co., a business she started in 1981 in the Salinas Valley with partner, Larry Clark.

Outside of work, she enjoyed her life by gardening, riding horses, raising pigeons, traveling to Hawaii and occasional trips to gamble. Also, you could catch her dancing and singing her favorite songs. Nothing would slow her down until she had a stroke in 2014. Even then, she continued to live in her home with the help of her children.

Erna was a longtime resident of the Monterey Peninsula, a place called "Little Germany '' due to the many soldiers that brought back German wives after being overseas. It really reminded her of home as she met and made many friends from her home country. She truly lived a full life. Those that were friends or lucky to just know her respected her strength and passion for life. She was proud of her sons and adored her daughter.

Erna is survived by her children; Robert Reyes, Alfred Reyes, Dwayne Reyes and Michelle Payne Ford; her grandchildren, Christopher Reyes, Nicholas Reyes, Ally Ford, Shellyann Ford, Axel Reyes and great-granddaughter, Cyarra Reyes.

Rest in Peace Mom!

Funeral services will take place at The Paul Mortuary Chapel on Tuesday, November 16 at 11:00 am. Memorial contributions are suggested to the SPCA for Monterey County, PO Box 3058, Monterey, CA, 93942. Please visit www.thepaulmortuary.com to sign Erna’s guest book and leave messages for her.