Gladys Brown Payne

Gladys Brown Payne, 84, of Morganton, NC died Tuesday, January 20, 2015.  Born March 4, 1930 in Avery County, NC, she was a daughter of the late William Oren Brown and Maude Allie Jones Brown.  She was a member and past deacon of the First Baptist Church of Morganton.  Gladys worked as a registered nurse for over 45 years, with the majority of time spent in the Birthing Center at Grace Hospital.  In 1999 she was the Grace Hospital Nurse of the Year.  She was also active in Habitat for Humanity and a member of the Lions Club.  Mrs. Payne enjoyed traveling with the First Baptist Church and the Morganton Recreation Department in the United States and overseas.

Gladys is survived by sons, John Stephen Payne and Kim Sain of Morganton and Edgar Lee Payne and Ann Larsen of Gastonia, NC; a grandson, Eric Alexander Payne; and a step-granddaughter, Kelly Lassiter; and two sisters, Pearl Norris and Gerry Wilcox, both of Boone, NC.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Earl Brown Payne; and a grandson, Erin Lee Payne.

The funeral will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, January 23, 2015 at the First Baptist Church with Dr. Thomas A. Bland, Jr. officiating.  The family will receive friends in the church parlor following the service.  The graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, January 31, 2015 at the Sands Family Cemetery in Boone.

Memorial contributions may be made to Burke Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., 1721 Enon Road, Valdese, NC 28690 or to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 459, Morganton, NC 28680.

Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.