Ralph Edward Payne 1918 - 2014

PAYNE, EHRESMAN, GROOM

Posted By: Connie Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/14/2014 at 10:19:19

Sioux City Journal
13 April 2014

SIOUX CITY | Ralph Edward Payne, 95, of Spring, Texas, formerly of Sioux City, passed away Friday, March 21, 2014 at home after a short illness.

He was buried at Forest Park the Woodlands Cemetery, in The Woodlands, Texas.

Ralph was born Oct. 22, 1918, on a farm east of Lafayette, Ind., to Benjamin and Olivia (Ehresman) Payne. He graduated from Purdue University in 1941. He served in the U.S. Army at Aberdeen Proving Grounds from Sept. 26, 1942, until Jan. 26, 1946. The family then moved to Lincoln, Neb., until they moved to Sioux City in 1960.

He married Marjorie Groom on Jan. 4, 1942, in Watertown, Tenn. Three children were born to this marriage. They later divorced. He moved to Minneapolis, Minn., after the divorce, then later to Texas, where he met and married his second wife, Judith Bass.

He is survived by his wife, Judith; his daughters, Vivian (Mark) Adams of Sioux City, and Terry (Chris) Kline of Nacogdoches, Texas; son, Edward (Philippa) Payne of Queensland, Australia; six grandchildren, Jeffrey (Michelle) Adams, of Kyle, Texas, Brent (Rebecca) Adams of Spring Park, Minn., Shawn Adams of Sioux City, Jessica Payne of Eugene, Ore., Sarah Payne of Crescent City, Calif., and Ellen (Nelson) Mabry of Houston, Texas; seven great-grandchildren; his first wife; two stepdaughters and their husbands; two step-grandchildren; a sister; and a niece.

Ralph was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother-in-law.