Zoila Ondina Payne

Salinas - Zoila Payne, nee Izaguirre, passed away on December 8, 2025 with her son and daughter at her side holding her hands. She was 98, born on August 19, 1927 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. When she finished high school, she told her father that she wanted to go to school in the United States to learn English and return to Honduras to work as a bilingual secretary. She met her goal and went back to Honduras, eventually working as a bilingual secretary for United Fruit Company in La Lima. It was there that she met Putnam Payne, who worked for the same company. He was smitten as soon as he saw her. They were married on April 11, 1956. Zoila and Putnam were transferred to Boston, Massachusetts by the company. They moved back to La Lima -- by then with two children, then to the Dominican Republic, Salinas, back to La Lima, and finally retirement in Salinas. Zoila was a wonderful and devoted mother and wife. She loved to read, play the piano, embroider, was a wonderful cook, and always exercised. She was smart, wise, compassionate, generous, happy, funny, full of life, and had a beautiful smile. It is hard to imagine a world without her. She was preceded in death by her husband, Putnam. She leaves behind her beloved children, Thomas Carlos Payne and Sharilyn Rose Payne, the family dog - Chloe, and parakeets Bonita and Pio. The family would like to thank caregivers Mariana (Marianita) Valdez and Maria Zapien Gonzalez who were just wonderful with Zoila. A small service will be held at the Neptune Society in San Jose on December 15, 2025 at 12:00 noon. A gathering will be held at her home in Salinas at a later date.