James Stewart Payne, 86
Dr. James Stewart Payne was born on July 6, 1924, in Seattle. He died on Monday, Oct. 4, 2010, at the Veterans Home in Columbia Falls, of natural causes. He was raised in Great Falls and graduated from Great Falls High School. His education was continued at what was then Montana State College in Bozeman. While attending MSU, he took an interest in optometry and also met his future wife, Dorothy McLaughlin, of Garneill. They married June 25, 1947 and then moved to Memphis, Tenn., where Jim attended the Southern School of Optometry. After graduating, Dr. Payne practiced his profession in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and then, missing their Montana roots, moved his family to Great Falls. Dr. Payne was an optometrist in Great Falls for about 40 years and retired in 1992 to the Flathead Valley. Jim was in the Army Air Corps during World War II and flew on B-29s. His fond memories of his military days include flying and riding his motorcycle back and forth from Montana to Texas. He got back to his love of flying in the 60s with his Cessna 180 and then his Bonanza. Jim was a president of the Montana Pilots Association and enjoyed many fly-ins with friends and family. That led to another hobby, ham radio. He got involved in the testing process for new operators, sharing his love of electronics and making new friends. A talented and creative person, Jim was known for his woodworking skills and the four homes he helped design and build in Great Falls and Lakeside. He did beautiful cabinetry and loved to draw house plans. All of his projects would have to be put on hold though, when it came to hunting season. An avid hunter, it was the bird hunting at Freeze Out Lake that he really got a kick out of with his faithful Chesapeake retrievers, Gunner and Max. He was a lifelong member of the NRA. As a member of the Masons and then the Shriners, he also participated in many a parade as part of the Motosiki Tauf. Jim and Dorothy were always criss-crossing the country in his latest RV or camper, loving to travel and visit with their many friends and relatives. He loved his association with the Rocky Mountain Rollers and the Good Sam Club. There was not a road in this country that he didn t have a curiosity about. Dr. Payne was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Helen Lease Payne; infant brother, Harold; and brother, Jerry. He will be missed by his wife of 63 years, Dorothy; daughter, Sharilee, and husband, Pete Putzier, of Somers; daughter, Janice, and husband, Dave Skolnick, of Alameda, Calif.; son, Jim, of Lakeside; and son, Steve, of Somers; his grandchildren in Boise, Idaho, Jarame Ell and Shelly, and their sons, Caleb and Jonah, Jami Cureton and Scott, and their sons, Gabrielle and Archer, and Suzanna Smith and Forrest, and their children, Zoe and Orion, of Lawrenceburg, Ky. He is survived by his sister, Marilynn Lyles, of Salem, Ore.; and brother, Dr. Jack Payne, and Marlene, of Mesa, Ariz.; also many nieces and nephews who will miss their Uncle Jim. There will be a memorial service at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at the Lakeside Chapel. Messages of condolence may be sent to Buffalo Hill Funeral Home at www.buffalohillfh.com, or to their address at 1890 U.S. 93 N., KalispeII, MT 59901.