Obituary for Shirley Payne
Shirley Joyce Elliott Payne, 89, of Canyon, Texas passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. The family is having a memorial service at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 27, 2023 at the Happy Methodist Church. Followed by refreshments at the home of Bonnie Payne, 3008 County Road 6, about 3 miles SW of Happy.
Shirley was born December 6th, 1933 at home on the family farm northeast of Happy, Texas to R.B. and Ruth Elliott. Younger brothers Ben, Ross, and Stan Elliott, all preceded her in death. Sons Tim and John have also moved on to greener pastures.
Shirley was raised on the farm and loved it all....horses, cattle, the smell of freshly turned soil, wheat waving in the wind, hawks on the wing, and getting a cooling drink of water from the windmill. She was farming with her father as soon as she could ride with him. Shirley went to school in Happy, played basketball and was a cheerleader. She married Thomas L. Payne of Wayside, Texas in 1952. By the time she was 21 she had three children which somewhat challenged her free spirit. Nonetheless, she was a hard-working mother and ahead of her time in doing it all. While Tom was in the Air Force and later working at Pantex, she was working with the family at Farmer's Elevator in Canyon while still farming, raising kids, and working with her parents and brothers at the Happy farm. Tom, Shirley, and the children lived on a small farm outside Amarillo. Bookkeeping and tax preparation were skills she developed and later used to be the business consultant to many family members.
Tom, Shirley, and the kids later moved to a larger farm just north of Umbarger, Texas. Shirley continued to be an active farmer, mother, and business manager. She helped Tom with many of his projects over the years: corn maze, really tall Christmas light tree, farm infrastructure, and continuing to be the brains behind all the business operations. She was very active in helping son Tim with his water well business. Tom and Shirley became Emergency Medical Technicians to be of aid to the community. They were very involved with their children and grandchildren's activities and attended many school and sporting events. They were avid supporters of the West Texas State University Lady Buffs as well.
Eventually, the challenges of age and health meant farming and maintaining the homestead were too much to handle so Tom and Shirley moved to a lovely home and neighborhood in Canyon. With wonderful supportive neighbors, socializing with a group of Happy High School graduates and playing dominoes at the Canyon Senior Center, they settled into retirement. Tom passed away November 1, 2017. Shirley continued to garden, and every summer had the prettiest flowering plants around the house. Up until the very end she was doling out business and tax advice as well as managing the complex government programs on the Happy farmland she had inherited. With sister-in-law, Ramona Elliott, they made weekly visits to their neighboring acreages to check on things and work with nephew Wade Elliott on his continuing operation of the farmland that his grandparents, R.B. and Ruth, had started in 1930.
Shirley will be dearly missed by family and friends. She is survived by many Paynes: daughter and friend, Sheila of Durango Colorado, grandchildren Christy (and her partner Jock Sulik) of Corpus Christi, Texas, Ted and his wife Jenna and their children Taysen and Jade of Nazareth, Texas and Ted's children Reganne and Tyler, Dave and his wife Darcie (living on the Umbarger farm) and their children Hunter and Lincoln, Bonnie (and her partner Nick Osteen) of Happy, Texas, Clinton Payne of Colorado, Jesse Payne and his wife Geneva of Durango, CO.
Should you desire to honor Shirley, in lieu of flowers, consider a contribution to the Canyon Senior Center 1719 5th Ave, Canyon, TX 79015 or to a hospice organization of your choice.
Shirley was born December 6th, 1933 at home on the family farm northeast of Happy, Texas to R.B. and Ruth Elliott. Younger brothers Ben, Ross, and Stan Elliott, all preceded her in death. Sons Tim and John have also moved on to greener pastures.
Shirley was raised on the farm and loved it all....horses, cattle, the smell of freshly turned soil, wheat waving in the wind, hawks on the wing, and getting a cooling drink of water from the windmill. She was farming with her father as soon as she could ride with him. Shirley went to school in Happy, played basketball and was a cheerleader. She married Thomas L. Payne of Wayside, Texas in 1952. By the time she was 21 she had three children which somewhat challenged her free spirit. Nonetheless, she was a hard-working mother and ahead of her time in doing it all. While Tom was in the Air Force and later working at Pantex, she was working with the family at Farmer's Elevator in Canyon while still farming, raising kids, and working with her parents and brothers at the Happy farm. Tom, Shirley, and the children lived on a small farm outside Amarillo. Bookkeeping and tax preparation were skills she developed and later used to be the business consultant to many family members.
Tom, Shirley, and the kids later moved to a larger farm just north of Umbarger, Texas. Shirley continued to be an active farmer, mother, and business manager. She helped Tom with many of his projects over the years: corn maze, really tall Christmas light tree, farm infrastructure, and continuing to be the brains behind all the business operations. She was very active in helping son Tim with his water well business. Tom and Shirley became Emergency Medical Technicians to be of aid to the community. They were very involved with their children and grandchildren's activities and attended many school and sporting events. They were avid supporters of the West Texas State University Lady Buffs as well.
Eventually, the challenges of age and health meant farming and maintaining the homestead were too much to handle so Tom and Shirley moved to a lovely home and neighborhood in Canyon. With wonderful supportive neighbors, socializing with a group of Happy High School graduates and playing dominoes at the Canyon Senior Center, they settled into retirement. Tom passed away November 1, 2017. Shirley continued to garden, and every summer had the prettiest flowering plants around the house. Up until the very end she was doling out business and tax advice as well as managing the complex government programs on the Happy farmland she had inherited. With sister-in-law, Ramona Elliott, they made weekly visits to their neighboring acreages to check on things and work with nephew Wade Elliott on his continuing operation of the farmland that his grandparents, R.B. and Ruth, had started in 1930.
Shirley will be dearly missed by family and friends. She is survived by many Paynes: daughter and friend, Sheila of Durango Colorado, grandchildren Christy (and her partner Jock Sulik) of Corpus Christi, Texas, Ted and his wife Jenna and their children Taysen and Jade of Nazareth, Texas and Ted's children Reganne and Tyler, Dave and his wife Darcie (living on the Umbarger farm) and their children Hunter and Lincoln, Bonnie (and her partner Nick Osteen) of Happy, Texas, Clinton Payne of Colorado, Jesse Payne and his wife Geneva of Durango, CO.
Should you desire to honor Shirley, in lieu of flowers, consider a contribution to the Canyon Senior Center 1719 5th Ave, Canyon, TX 79015 or to a hospice organization of your choice.