Opal Payne

Funeral service for Opal Payne will be held 2:00 p.m Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at Cowboy Gathering Church in Inola, Oklahoma. Pastor Roy Shoop will officiate. Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery under the direction of the MMS-Payne Funeral Home.

Opal Faye Payne passed away on Friday, November 23, 2018 at the age of 97.

The daughter of James Calvin and Bertha Wallis Casey was born August 15, 1921 in Claremore, Oklahoma. She was raised in the Harmony Starr community. There, over the years, she would attend school at Harmony Starr, Midway, and Sequoyah. During her school years she loved playing basketball. Shortly after finishing school, Opal met Melvin Roy Payne. They began dating, and married on July 20, 1940. The newlywed couple also made their home in the Harmony Starr area. Opal then settled in as a hard working ranchers wife. She worked alongside him helping feed, raise the animals, and tend to the garden. As her family began to grow, she continued all those things while making her children her primary focus. Opal loved her children being active in 4H. During those years her children referred to her as 4H mom. Not only did Opal take care of her children, but helped care for many of their friends. Many of them spent lots of time at the Payne home just to get some of Opals famous biscuits and chocolate gravy.

Opal was also active in her community. She was a long-time member of Harmony Starr Church, where she served as the secretary for a number of years. In fact, she was the last living original member of the church. She also helped form a quilting club at the church that met for a a number of years. Eventually, she even got active in politics, helping chaperone part of Clem's Cowpokes during a trip to Washington DC, while Clem McSpadden was running for congress.

In her later years, as she began to slow down, Opal enjoyed sitting at home watching her favorite team, the Oklahoma City Thunder play basketball. However, her true love was spending time with her children and all of her grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, James and Bertha; husband, Melvin; brothers, Kenneth and Calvin Casey and sister, Florence Wolfington.

Survivors include her children, Wanda Elliott, Sherry Still and husband Marvin, and Rodney Payne; grandchildren, Joslyn Collins and husband Matt, Terri Young and husband Bret, Stephanie Bauer, Cindy Hefner and husband Dale Countryman, Scott Ray and wife Angel, Ryan Payne, and Matthew Payne and wife Kristian; great-grandchildren, Rachel, Will, Timothy, Alex, Angela, Luke, McKinley, William, Evelyn, Heather; great-great-grandchildren Jaden, Cameron Ava, Sam, Kaegan, and Aeydan; sister, Mary Bridwell and numerous other extended family.

View and sign Opal's online memorial at www.mmsfuenralhomes.com