Steven Garry Payne

On October 26, 2024, at the age of 78, Steven G. Payne took his last breath at the UC San Diego Medical Center, surrounded by the family he loved and who loved him. He drew his first breath on August 12, 1946, in Des Moines, Iowa, as the second-born son of Frances Payne and Doris Reit Hagquist. Like many who grew up in the Midwest, he liked to tell stories about walking to school uphill both ways in the snow. After graduating from Lincoln High School, Steven joined the United States Marine Corps in 1964 and served in the Vietnam War. He talked little about his time overseas. But he was a proud Marine, and he often sported a U.S. Marine Corps hat. Every November 10, he would call his kids and remind them it was the Marine Corps’ birthday. Semper Fi. While stationed at Naval Weapons Station Fallbrook, he met Janice Wellman. He asked her to go to the San Bernardino Orange Show with him, and they were married three months later on June 10, 1968. They built a home together in Rialto, California, where they raised their children and lived for 53 years. After getting out of the service, Steven began working for Southern California Edison. While driving an Edison truck for linemen, he attended a business school for accounting where his knack for numbers and spreadsheets blossomed. Soon after, he began working in Edison’s budget and accounting division, overseeing the building and managing of energy projects throughout California and Nevada, including a solar plant in Daggett and a nuclear plant in San Onofre. After 42 years, he retired from Edison in 2010. Outside of work, Steven loved sports. He especially loved wrestling (which he pronounced ras-tling), and also baseball, which he played throughout his youth. He was a devoted Boston Red Sox, Chicago Bears, and University of Iowa Hawkeyes fan and could often be seen wearing those teams’ hats (he was only rarely seen without a baseball cap of some kind), never surrendering his fandom to any of the teams from the state that was his home for almost 60 years. He went to all of his children’s sporting events and later went to as many of his grandchildren’s sporting events as he could. Steven also coached his daughter’s and sons’ softball and basketball teams, and he was an umpire for the local Little League for many years where he perfected shouting “Strike!” and taught a class on how to be an umpire. He was only once thrown out of a game for yelling at the umpire. Steven was also a funny man. A very funny man that was always making jokes. He liked to make people laugh, and laugh they did. Most of all, however, Steven loved his family, who miss him dearly. He is survived by his wife Janice; daughter Dawn Payne; sons William Payne and Joshua Payne; daughters-in law Brianna Swan Payne and Heidi Payne; son-in-law Gil da Gente; grandchildren Dylan Payne, Zachary Payne, Aspen Payne, Gabe da Gente, Bostyn Payne, and Emma Payne; sister Shelley (and her husband David) Sipes; sister Robbie (and her husband Mike) Kipper; nieces and nephews; and countless others who loved him. He was preceded in death by his parents Doris and Frances; siblings Allen Payne, Randall Payne, and Jodie Niesent; and daughter Kristy Kay Payne. In lieu of flowers, which he did not like, donations can be made to Semper Fi & America’s Fund, or any other organization that assists veterans.

Steven Garry Payne

August 12, 1946 - October 26, 2024