Milton Reed Payne
March 31, 1959 - September 26, 2021
Obituary
Milton Reed Payne, age 62, passed away of Cardiac Vascular Disease and Covid on September 26, 2021, at an assisted living facility in Colfax, Washington.
Milton was born in Richland, Washington on March 31, 1959, to Jennie and Earnest Payne and was the fifth child of a large, blended family of seven. Like his older siblings, he attended Spalding Elementary School and Carmichael Junior High in Richland before moving to Seattle, Washington with his mom and two younger sisters after his parent’s divorce.
During his childhood in Richland, he spent most of his summers at George Prout swimming pool, Richland Library, and taking month long camping trips across country to visit his grandma and cousins in Oklahoma with his family where he would attend his tribe’s Pow Wows and enjoy his grandmother’s special Indian fry bread. Those vacations also included seeing the sights along the way which resulted in visiting almost every state in the country. After moving to SeaTac as a teenager in the 1970s, he enjoyed listening to rock and roll music, going to a few concerts he could afford and spent much of his time buying and exploring the newest album releases with Led Zeppelin being his favorite band. He also worked at a local family restaurant after school and was especially proud of the experience he acquired while working there. That job served as a source of inspiration which sparked an interest in cooking of which he loved to discuss whenever he got the chance. After surviving a severe car accident which left him with a head injury, broken arm and missing many days of high school, he was able to get caught up and ultimately graduated from Tyee High School in Seattle/SeaTac.
Even though he struggled with schizophrenia most of his adult life, he worked as a Hanford Bus Driver, Custodian, and a Newspaper Carrier when he was able to, attended Jehovah Witness Church services and was always there to help others whenever he saw their need. Occasionally he would take the time to write a thoughtful handwritten letter to a sibling who he hadn’t heard from in a long time. He was independent, modest, kind and never asked for anything. As one of his sisters put it, “his humility, kindness, and common sense was pretty near perfect”. You’re now at peace Milton and your kind soul will carry on forever and never be forgotten. You were very much loved.
He was preceded in death by his parents and survived by his siblings Donna Payne, Nancy Slagle, Rodney Slagle, Douglas (Payne) Noblehorse, Mary Ann (Payne) McAllister, and Carmella Payne. A private memorial will be held, but donations are appreciated and may be sent to https://donate.nami.org. NAMI Eastside is in Redmond, Washington and is a mental health organization that helped Milton and others suffering from mental illness.
My dear brother I will never forget the fun we had as teenagers buying and listening to all those awesome rock albums you bought… especially Led Zeppelin! The album cover art, lyrics and the stereo sound was so impressive. And it was so great when you discovered Seattle’s newest and coolest “FM100” radio station too. It entertained us all summer long as we learned the details of each rock and roll group and then went to a few of their concerts. You were fun and the kindest brother a sister could ever have! When my time comes, I’m sure you will be waiting for me in the spirit world. See you then. Love you!
To my big, little brother, Milton: As you move from this world into the next, I want you to know you will ALWAYS be in my mind and heart along with those memories of the sweet, young child I knew and loved for the few years we had together. It was just not enough — for a multitude of reasons only God would understand. With the passing years, I look forward to our reunion in our next life.
I’m so sorry to hear about Milton passing away. He was a special person and friend.
I’m one of Jehovah’s Witnesses that visited Milton and studied the Bible with him. We connected on a couple of things; I have a Native American heritage from Oklahoma also, and I understood his struggle with schizophrenia since my brother faced that as we grew up together. Milton learned the Bible’s message and knew there will be a resurrection as John 5:28, 29 says “Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out…”
I look forward to seeing him again one day, healthy in all respects as promised at Isaiah 33:24!
I had lost track of Milton over the years since I developed hearing loss and moved to an American Sign Language congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Milton moved as well. I thought of him and did the search that found his obituary. My condolences to the family.