AUBREY HAMPTON "BILL" PAYNE

1922 - 2015

Payne, Aubrey Hampton "Bill" Born on March 28, 1922 in Surry County, NC, the son of Gold Hobson and Margaret Mae Hampton Payne. He died on July 1, 2015 in Newton, MA. He graduated from Appalachian State Teachers' College in Boone, NC in 1943 and joined the United States Navy where he became a radar officer, Lieutenant JG. In 1946 he began a graduate program in mathematics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and spent several semesters in training at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, home to two of the three United States computers then in existence. His professional life was devoted to computers and their applications. In 1953 he received his doctorate and in 1954 he moved to Newton, MA, his home for the rest of his life. In 1947 he and Carolyn Michel, of Augusta, GA were married. Their four sons, Stephen Hampton, Thomas Michel, John Fraser, and Andrew Cumming survive him, together with four Payne grandchildren -- Rebecca, Jarod, Emma and Cole -- all of whom live within the greater Boston area. Funeral services will be private. The family plans a gathering of friends and family at the Newton residence at 2PM on July 26 to remember the life of a well-loved man. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the scholarship fund at: Appalachian State University Foundation, Advancement Services, Box 32014, Boone, NC 28608-2014