ELLEN L. PAYNER

age 87. Beloved and adored wife of the late Leonard Payner. Loving mother of Heather Belay, Brook (Amy) Payner, Melissa (Keith) Gregor, Troy (Cara) Payner, and Vanessa (Tom) Plucinsky. Devoted grandmother of Adam Belay, Joshua Belay, Nicholas Belay, Benjamin Payner, Chapin (Caitlin) Gregor, Tate Gregor, Julius Payner, Alexis Plucinsky, Madison Plucinsky, Ty Plucinsky, and Chad Plucinsky. Great grandmother of Ezra Gregor. Dr. Payner was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1933 and moved with her parents to New York City in 1938 where she graduated from Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts. She earned a BS in Special Education from The Ohio State University, a Master's Degree in Communication from the University of Akron and a PhD in Human Services Administration from Walden University. Her career spanned 35 years with the Lorain County Board of Developmental Disabilities, more commonly known as Murray Ridge Center, beginning in 1959 when she joined as a speech pathologist. She left for a 10 year period during which she worked in the Lorain County Juvenile Court System, counseling teens remanded to the system for remediation and guidance, and as an Instructor in Theater and Communication at Lorain County Community College, before rejoining Murray Ridge in 1974 to become Director of Adult Services. She was promoted to Superintendent in 1977, a position she held until 2004. Upon her retirement, the Board of Commissioners of Lorain County named a Murray Ridge Facility the Ellen L Payner Administrative Building in honor of her contributions to the welfare of Lorain County children and adults with special needs. Following her retirement from Murray Ridge, she worked for nearly 10 years as a consultant to Our Lady of the Wayside, continuing her lifelong dedication to enriching the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. During her career, Dr. Payner served as a Board member on a variety of social service, governmental, educational, health and welfare agencies. A private family service has been held and the family requests no visitation. Friends who wish may contribute to Friends of Murray Ridge, 1091 Infirmary Rd., Elyria, OH 44035 or The Michael J Fox Foundation, Grand Central Station, PO Box 4777, NY, NY 10163.