Emmett Donald Payne

Emmett was born on January 8, 1938 to Willie and Vallie Mae Payne in East St. Louis, Illinois. He was the middle child of two brothers. He graduated from the University of Toledo, Ohio in 1961 with a major in Business Administration where he also became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

After graduation, he worked for IBM, Los Angeles County and the State of California. He worked as an accountant privately and for the State of California for over 25 years.

In 1962, he met the love of his life Yvonne Smith and quickly proposed marriage. They married in July of the same year and had two children, Gerald Payne and Julie Barthelemy and three grandchildren Renee, Kellie and Kyle Barthelemy. He loved his family dearly and anyone who knew Emmett saw that he was a loving husband, father and grandfather.

Emmett loved life and had many favorite pastimes. He was an avid reader and enjoyed the various mysteries found in fiction and learning of the world’s many wonders through non-fiction. He was an excellent cook who wanted to learn and share cuisines from across the globe with those at his dinner table. He was a computer enthusiast who was always up-to-date and moving forward with the latest technology trends. And he was a frequent traveler who loved cruising and flying to enjoy native cuisine and people. He loved having others to share adventures with him.

He was a simple, but generous man who loved to explore new places, foods and events and shared his experiences with his family. He will forever be loved and missed by his family and friends.

Emmett passed away peacefully on March 5, 2020, but will be remembered for eternity. There will be no services as he requested a private burial.