Dorothy Payne

Dorothy M. Payne, 86, of Salem, IA, died peacefully at her home on Tuesday, February 1, 2011. The family will greet friends at a visitation on Sunday, February 6th, from 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. at the Olson - Powell Memorial Chapel of Mt. Pleasant. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., on Monday, February 7th, at the Salem Friends Church with Pastor Tom Palmer officiating. Burial will be in the Salem South Cemetery. Memorials have been established to the Salem Friends Church for music and missions ministries. Born March 24, 1924, on the family farm seven miles south of Mt. Pleasant, Dorothy Marie was the daughter of Evans Dewey and Dorthea Marie Hoyer Pickard. She attended Oak Grove School for first to sixth grades, attended Dorland School for seventh and eighth grades, and was a 1941 graduated of Mt. Pleasant High School. Following graduation, Dorothy started working at the Henry County AAA Office, which was the federal government agriculture office, and worked there until the time of her marriage. On March 24, 1944, she married Herbert Ellsworth Payne at the Salem Friends Church. He preceded her in death on January 8, 1985. In 1950, Dorothy and her husband purchased a farm two miles north of Salem, which she called home until the time of her death. In 1953, Dorothy returned to work at the AAA office and retired in March of 1975, after 25 years of service. In 1997, she had the privilege of purchasing her childhood home, the Pickard Family Century Farm. Dorothy became a member of the Salem Friends Church on April 15, 1937, and remained active in the church until the time of her death. She was a Sunday school teacher for over 60 years, became the church pianist in 1938, and faithfully served on music, missions and other committees important to the life of the church. Dorothy served on the Fellowship Cup Board of Directors for nine years, Farmers Home Administration Board of Directors for six years, and Salem South Cemetery Board for many years. Additionally, she participated in many mission trips, both locally and abroad. Loving survivors of Dorothy include, two sons, Leonard (Shirley) Payne of Jefferson, PA and Lewis (Cherry) Payne of Kalona, IA; a daughter Linette (David) Cook of Mt. Pleasant, IA and two sisters, Marguerite Pefferman of Wayland, IA and Willadean Logan of Aurora, MO. She was a loving grandmother of six grandchildren, Nichole Slabach, Jessie Cook, Erika Miller, Christopher Cook, Gabrielle Frederick, and Nathan Cook, along with her nine great-grandchildren. Along with her parents and husband, Dorothy was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Angel Marie Cook; a brother, Richard Pickard; and a sister, Helen Weeden.