Matthew Anthony Payne died in Portland at the age of 89. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Matt remembered watching Civil War Vets march by on Memorial Day and a time when airmail was flown in open-cockpit single-engine airplanes. He attended kindergarten through 5th grade at Rozelle School and 6-8th grades at the Hall of the Devine Child, a boarding school in Monroe, Mich.; and high school at Cathedral Latin. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's of Science in Industrial Engineering from Case Western Reserve in 1941. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp. At Greenville and Myrtle Air Bases in South Carolina, he was maintenance control and flight line officer for a squadron of B-25s, where he created a moving maintenance line which greatly reduced aircraft down time. He married Mary Nolan in 1947. In the early '50s the young family moved to Niagara Falls, Ontario. During that time was vice president of Lubrizol Canada, national president of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, and president of the Niagara Chamber of Commerce. In 1960 the family returned to Cleveland, where Matt was a purchasing manager at Lubrizol. He left in 1961 to take a position at Lehn & Fink and moved the family to Montclair, N.J. He made one more career change in the mid '70s to be manager of operations at Revlon Health Care in New York. After retiring in the early '80s, he and his wife moved to Lake Oswego to be closer to many of their seven children. He enjoyed painting, literature, skiing, woodworking and his time at the family cottage in Otis, Mass. In his last years and even in his last weeks, his sense of humor and sharp wit remained intact. He was a no-nonsense-kind of guy with the temperament of a World War II flight line officer, the mind of an engineer, the practicality of a corporate vice president, the faith of an Irish Catholic, the loyalty of a husband of 58 years, and the heart of a father. We loved him dearly and will miss him always. Matt is survived by his son, Rev. Mark Payne, OSB of Newark, N.J.; son-in-law and daughter, Mark and Ann Edlen and their children, Matt, Noreen, and Tommy; daughter-in-law and son, Stephanie and Tom Payne of Portland and their children, Mary and Julia; daughter-in-law and son, Karen and Frank Payne of Sammamish, Wash., and their children, Stephen and Christina; daughter, Ellen Payne of Portland; son-in-law and daughter, Nigel and Julia Cooper of New Zealand; and son-in-law and daughter, Chris and Margaret Nelson of Minneapolis, and their daughters, Lizzie and Katie. A baby son Francis Coleman preceded him in death. Also surviving is his sister, Dolores Hespen of Naples, Fla.; and his nephew, Fred and (the late Mary Lynn Payne) and their children, Joe, Tess and Michael of Lake Oswego; as well as numerous nieces and nephews, each of whom he loved deeply. A Funeral Mass will be held 1 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Our Lady of the Lake Church, Lake Oswego with a graveside service immediately afterwards.
Published in The Oregonian on 2/17/2009