William Truman Payne

William Truman Payne of Gulfport passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at the age of 76. Mr. Payne of Youngstown, OH, was a longtime resident of the MS Gulf Coast. He was an Air Force veteran and retired from the Federal government where he worked as a Training Manager for the Department of the Air Force. Mr. Payne received numerous awards during his civil service career culminating with the Air Force Civilian Training Manager of the Year award for 1996. He was preceded in death by his daughters, Jennifer Lynn Payne and Wendy Kay Payne, brother James (Bud) Evans, and parents Truman and Natalie Payne. He is survived by his beloved wife of 39 years, Dana Elaine Payne; two sons, Jason E. Payne (Cassie) of Gulfport, MS, and William T. Payne, Jr. (Bobbi) of Bentonia, MS; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren; one sister, Grace Manna of Youngstown, OH; two brothers, Wade Payne (Sandra) of Columbiana, OH; and Kenneth Payne (Vernie) of Youngstown, OH. The family wishes to thank the staff of the Gulfport Care Center for the kind and loving care they provided to their loved one. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations be made to the Humane Society of South Mississippi, 2615 25th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 4, 2017, at 2 pm, at the Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Home on O’Neal Road in Gulfport, where friends may visit one hour prior to service. View and sign register book at www.bradfordokeefe.com