Donald Payne

Donald (Don) W. Payne lived an active life with little idle time. In the early part of his high school senior year, Don joined the Navy and attended Naval Reserve meetings. He left for active duty after his graduation in 1966. Raised as a rural farm boy, he had never seen the ocean until he reported for duty. His previously sheltered life, however, was soon to change drastically. Two years of active service took Don to ports in France, Italy, Crete, Sicily, Spain, Malta, England, Scotland, and Nassau. After being honorably discharged from the Navy, he gave serious thought to becoming a merchant seaman but opted for college instead. Don attended Virginia Commonwealth University from 1971 to 1974, then returned home to Fluvanna County in Virginia with his new bride, Shirley. Even though his professional career as an environmental, health, and safety consultant and trainer kept him quite busy, he had a wide range of hobbies, including raising Black Angus cattle, playing guitar and other string instruments, and artistic wood carving. In the early 1980's, he and his wife purchased a historic 1891 farm on the Rivanna River in Albemarle County, Virginia. The peaceful solitude of country life continued to be a passion for them both. Don always had an intrigue and respect for the past, especially in relation to rural life and his family. Beginning in 1989, he encouraged his father to tell stories about the old times while Don quietly jotted down notes. Those interviews evolved into similar note-taking visits with his Uncle Willie and Aunt Dot Payne and numerous other senior citizens in the community. He soon had gathered hundreds of pages of text, collected dozens of old pictures, and recorded many hours of audio tape. The value of this information being so evident to him, Don decided to author a book for his family. Later, it became clear that others, regardless of their own heritage, would enjoy the stories as well. His first book was published in 2008. Having developed a true passion for writing, other books quickly followed and are described at legacyvirginia.com. He also applied his deep knowledge of rural living by helping design and maintain exhibits for the Farm Heritage Museum at the Pleasant Grove Park in Fluvanna County. Beginning in 2021, he also served as Museum Chairperson. For details see findfluvanna.org/preserving-fluvannas-past-farm-heritage-museum. Don was even more passionate about helping those in need. Over five decades, he volunteered for and, in most cases, served on leadership boards of community service organizations such as the Virginia March of Dimes, the Jefferson Board of Aging Volunteer Advisory Council, Meals on Wheels, and others. He often said this work gave him some of the greatest rewards in his life. Finally, Don was a religious man. Although a Protestant himself, he felt strongly that it did not matter what faith or God a person embraced if the chosen religion worked for the good of all humanity. He will be missed by so many. On Saturday, November 1st at 11:00am, a graveside service will be held at the Monticello Memory Gardens Cemetery, 670 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22902. In addition to Don's family, his friends and acquaintances are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorial contributions to the United Nations Children's Fund (help.unicef.org), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA.org/ways-to-give), or to a charity of your choice.