Janice Smith Payne, 83, passed away on Friday, January 15, 2021 at Brookdale Senior Living Center in Johnson City, Tennessee. Ms. Payne was born on March 1, 1937 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to Samuel V. and Virginia M. Smith. She was a 1955 graduate of Chattanooga High School , and she obtained her B.A. from the University of Chattanooga in 1959, where she was a member of the Pi Phi sorority. In 1982 she earned her Masters in Elementary Administration from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Ms. Payne spent 38 years working for the Hamilton County Department of Education . She began her teaching career at James A. Henry Elementary, then she served at Pineville Elementary and Big Ridge Elementary. In 1991, she spent a year traveling throughout Tennessee as an evaluator for the Career Ladder program. In 1992, she became the Assistant Principal at Calvin Donaldson Elementary, and in 1994 she became the Principal of East Lake Elementary, where she remained until her retirement in 1997. Ms. Payne was a longtime member of Delta Kappa Gamma, the international society for women educators.
Ms. Payne was an active member of Northside Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, serving as an elder and a member of many committees over the years. She also treasured her volunteer opportunities, including serving at the Ronald McDonald hospitality room and delivering Meals on Wheels. Upon her move to Johnson City, Ms. Payne joined the Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church, where she continued to volunteer in many capacities.
Ms. Payne was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel V. and Virginia M. Smith. She is survived by three children and eight grandchildren: Susan Hembree and husband Don, of Johnson City, and their children, Matthew Hembree and Melanie Keller; Laura Graham and husband Joseph, of Winston-Salem, NC, and their daughter, Ellen Graham; and Carter Payne and wife Andrea, of Chattanooga, and their children, Chloe Bickhard, Elias Wood, Clara Wood, Emmalyn Wood, and Samuel Payne.
In addition to being a wonderful mother and grandmother, Ms. Payne was a loyal and beloved friend to many; she was fortunate to have several lifelong friends with whom she maintained faithful contact regardless of time and distance.
A celebration of Ms. Payne’s life will be held in Chattanooga at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions in Ms. Payne’s memory to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga, 200 Central Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403; to Northside Presbyterian Church, 923 Mississippi Avenue, Chattanooga TN 37405; or to Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church, 610 East Watauga Avenue, Johnson City TN 37601.
Ms. Payne’s family expresses great appreciation to the staff at Brookdale Senior Living Center and the staff of Amedisys Home Health & Hospice Services for the loving care provided to Ms. Payne.
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