Peggy Payne's Obituary
Peggy Wyatt Payne, 92, passed away December 16, 2014, at her home in Dallas, Texas. A Plano native, Peggy was born August 15, 1922, the proud daughter of Dr. Slater B. and Frances Jackson Wyatt. Peggy’s family had a passion for the care and education of children. For their many years of service to the community, both Dr. Wyatt and Peggy’s grandfather, Frank W. Jackson, were honored with the naming of Wyatt and Jackson Elementary Schools in Plano After graduating from Plano High School, Peggy earned a BS degree at SMU where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority, SMU beauty nominee, and Rotunda favorite A beautiful blonde with a powerful voice, she played the accordion and sang with the college quartet “Three Co’s and an Ed”. Peggy had a brilliant mind and her recall of people’s lives, businesses, and her family heritage was unmatched. In 1944, Peggy married her college sweetheart, Felix Payne, Jr, and the couple later moved to Wichita Falls with their two young sons. Peggy spent 21 years there raising her family and working as the Vice President of Development at Southwest National Bank. In Dallas, she was owner and manager of the Wyatt Building on Yale Boulevard. She owned and operated a costume jewelry business, “Pretty Things” for 16 years. Peggy treasured her faith, family and friends. Her style and grace were evident in her frequent, thoughtful notes. Peggy always strived to make the world a better place and never hesitated to take the time to write a letter to a company’s president to praise or comment on how they could improve their business. She was quick with advice on hairstyles and fashion and could recall and recite instantly the perfect poem for any occasion. She lived her favorite quote every day: “Let us be grateful to people that make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom into our best selves.” Peggy was named Wichita County’s Polio Mother of the Year for the March of Dimes in 1957. An active member of the Dallas Woman’s Club, The Dallas Garden Club, The First Friday Club and Pi Beta Phi Alumni Club, she served on various committees at Highland Park United Methodist Church. Preceded in death by her beloved son, Felix “Tracy” Payne, III; parents, Dr. Slater B. and Frances Jackson Wyatt of Plano; sister, Dorothy, Mrs. James Lucas Stephenson, Sr. and her brother, Jackson R. Wyatt. Survived by her devoted son, Slater Wyatt Payne, and his loving wife, Judy Burbank Payne; her grandsons and their families whom she adored: Curtis Wyatt Payne and wife Rachel and their daughter, Presley; Derek Slater Payne and wife, Kami, their son, Slater, and daughter, Skylar; and Trey Burbank Payne, all from the Houston area. Peggy also leaves behind a treasured niece, Nancy Stephenson Ortiz and her husband, Frankie Ortiz, and nephew, Jack R. Wyatt, Jr. all of Dallas. Peggy’s family would like to thank Hospice Plus for the kind and compassionate way they comforted her in her final days. A private burial will be at Restland Cemetery in Dallas. A celebration of Peggy’s life will be held on Monday, December 22, at 3:30 PM, Rev. Terry Jones will officiate at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas with visitation afterwards, in Fellowship Hall. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75238 at Restland Road. In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift may be made in Peggy’s honor to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, 2222 Welborn Street; Dallas, Texas 75219 www.tsrhc.org or a charity of choice.
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