Mr. John Lynn Payne

John Lynn Payne, of North Richland Hills, TX, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Monday, March 29. He will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, granddad, son, brother, friend, and bandmate to all who knew and loved him.

He was born on July 3, 1945, in Altus, Oklahoma, to Clyde and Thelma (Goolsby) Payne. John received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in May 1969 from Texas Technological College before it became Texas Tech University. He met his wife Gyendolyn Rice at Tech, and after a short courtship, they were married March 25, 1967.

John loved music and was an accomplished musician on many instruments, especially fiddle and guitar. He was in several bands throughout college and later in life as well. As a founding member of The Sensations in college, the group played gigs across West Texas, touring in their signature yellow hearse! He was most recently a member of The Back Beats, performing classics from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s at local restaurants and private events. He recorded two CDs – one with his band The American Classics, and a solo CD where he sang and played all the instruments.

After graduation, John joined the Army and was stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Upon leaving the Army, John and Gyen with their growing family moved to the Fort Worth area, where he began his career in corporate traffic management. John worked as a Corporate Traffic Manager at RSR for 34 years, retiring in 2013.

John and Gyen just recently celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary, but unfortunately this year did not get to make their annual trip to the coast where they loved to fish and walk along the beach. They have four children, Daren Payne, Amy Headley, Kim Payne and John Burton Payne. John was a devoted dad and shared his love of music with his children, all of whom were in the band at Richland High School. He became a doting granddad and made every attempt to attend his grandchildren’s activities from baseball, football, soccer, karate, band, and dance.

John is survived by his wife Gyen Payne of North Richland Hills, TX; children Daren Payne and his wife Kristi of Arlington, TX; Amy Headley of Keller, TX; Kim Payne of Carrollton, TX; and John Payne of Fort Worth, TX; grandchildren David Payne, Jennifer Payne and Grayson Headley; sister Jan Sellars and husband Bill of Bangs, TX, and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents Clyde and Thelma Payne.

Family will celebrate the life of John Payne with a private family visitation and remembrance service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, or to your favorite charity. Online condolences may be made by visiting the Bluebonnet Hills website. If you wish to send flowers, please contact Lilium Floral Design at 817-589-1566 or visit their website.