PAYNE, Jean

Vining Funeral Home, Safford, Arizona Jean Hatch Payne June 26, 1924 ~ June 16, 2014 Jean Hatch Payne, age 89, of Virden, New Mexico, passed away June 16, 2014, in Tucson, Ariz. Jean was born in Chandler, Ariz., on June 26, 1924, to John Alma and Cora May Merrell Hatch. She was their tenth and final child. When Jean was 4 years old, her family moved to Chino Valley, where she attended school through the eighth grade; then she attended and graduated from Prescott High School. Jean married her childhood sweetheart, Edward Lee Payne, on Nov. 19, 1942, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. They lived in Virden, where they worked, served, loved and raised their family. Jean served actively in the community and in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She and her husband, Ed, served as missionaries in the San Diego Mission, as Mesa Temple ordinance workers and in the Family History name extraction program. Jean loved working with young people and was a gifted teacher. She was a 4-H leader for 35 years and was loved and revered by all she worked with. Survivors include: her children, Linda (Dennis) Hunt of Joseph City, Ariz., Richard (Dorinda) Payne of Fayetteville, NC, Michael Payne of Kalispell, Mont., John (Wendy) Payne of Virden, NM, Debra (Charles) Hampton of Ganns, Oklah.; her 31 grandchildren, 70 great- grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by: her husband, Edward Lee Payne; four infant daughters, Sarah Edna Payne, Cora May Payne, Mary Jane Payne, Jeanine Payne; and her son, Dennis Lee Payne. Funeral services for Jean will be conducted Saturday, June 21, 2014, at the Duncan Arizona Stake Center with visitation beginning at 11:30 a.m. and services at 1:00 p.m. Concluding services will follow in the Virden Cemetery. Vining Funeral Home - Safford