Lawrence Payne

Lawrence "Larry" Howard Payne, 82, passed away peacefully at his home Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020.

He was born July 11, 1938, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Richmond Byron and Margery McReynolds Payne. He married his lifetime sweetheart, Bettye Bain, in 1959. Together they raised five children, Letty (Scott) Thies, Rick (Kim) Payne, Rich (Holly) Payne, Larry (Lori) Payne and Susan (Peter) Cook. Other surviving family members include 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all of whom will miss him very much.

Lawrence led a lifetime of achievement and service to others. He grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi, where he enjoyed playing football, basketball and baseball and throwing discus on the track team. Other activities included band, glee club, yearbook staff, Boy Scouts and 4H Club. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

After college, he held positions of increasing responsibility at REA Express in Jackson, Tennessee; Jackson, Mississippi; Memphis; Lexington, Kentucky; and St. Louis. Thereafter, he joined Procter & Gamble Corp. and moved to Cape Girardeau. He had many offers to leave Cape, but decided to remain here to raise his family. He was active in many youth-oriented activities while his children were growing up. He served as Cub Master for Pack 20 at Alma Schrader school, was head of the Parent-Teacher-Student Organization at Cape Girardeau Central High School, coached Cape Youth Baseball Little League, Pony League and Senior Babe Ruth teams and served as commissioner of Cape Youth Baseball. He was instrumental in procuring lights for the baseball fields inside the track at Arena Park. He also coached in the Cape Youth Flag Football League and the Optimist Youth Softball League.

He left Procter & Gamble to start his own business and acquired Rose Concrete Products Inc. and SEMO Ready Mix, Inc. He was also the owner of Metro Concrete Inc. and Arrowhead Steel Inc. In 2000, Rose Concrete Products was named Small Business of the Year by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. In 2005, Rose Concrete Products was honored by the Missouri House of Representatives for Excellence in Industry.

Lawrence was a tireless advocate for his community. As a member of the National Water Pollution Control Federation, he served on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers task force that provided the justification and funding to improve the flow of Cape La Croix Creek that finally ended the constant flooding of the Town Plaza area of Cape Girardeau. As a member and eventual chairman of the District 10 Committee to Pass Proposition B and 15-year Plan, he fought for the construction of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and the four-lane highway between Cape and Jackson.

As chairman of the Cape Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee, he committed himself to set up and gain voter approval for the Transportation Trust Fund. This program was approved after other efforts to gain funding for street improvements had failed. As chairman of the board of the Cape Chamber of Commerce, he was instrumental in the initiation of the Rush H. Limbaugh Award and bringing representatives of Southeast Missouri State University and the City of Cape Girardeau on the board as ex-officio members. He was also a charter member and a board member of Scott City Chamber of Commerce.

Lawrence was appointed to the Cape Girardeau Road and Bridge Advisory Board, where he was elected as the first chairman. He was later asked to work with the Missouri Department of Transportation on the redesign of the Center Junction project. When the U.S. Census declined the Cape Girardeau-Jackson area as a statistical urban area, it required the formation of an Urban Planning Organization. He was instrumental in forming the organization and became the first chairman of the SEMPO Technical Planning Committee.

He was also a member of Associated General Contractors of Missouri, Southern Illinois Contractors Association, West Kentucky Contractors Association and Southeast Missouri Contractors Association, where he served several years as treasurer. He served as a member of the board of directors of National Concrete Pipe Association and chaired the education committee for two years, while also serving on two technical committees of the National Pre-Cast Concrete Association.

During his spare time, he became an avid quail hunter and served as GOFER for Tower Club for 10 years.

Lawrence's wishes were not to have a funeral or memorial service. Instead, he has asked his children to host a "grand party" in his honor, where dear friends, colleagues and family could gather to celebrate the gifts of life and happiness. Rest assured to all who loved him that the family will make this happen as soon as it is COVID-safe to do so.

In lieu of flowers, Lawrence wished to support two of his favorite causes: Christmas for the Elderly and Toybox. Please mail donations to Cape Jaycees, P.O. Box 4, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0004. Checks should indicate, "In Memory -- Larry Payne" and also indicate whether the money should go to "Christmas for the Elderly" or to "Toybox."