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Anna Bozarth Payne ’53

June 6, 2019, in Happy Valley, Oregon.

Anna spent her childhood in Virginia and California before following in the wake of the migration of some of her aunts and uncles to Redmond, Oregon, during World War II. She was one of five finalists in the Miss Oregon Pageant.

At ºìÌÒÊÓƵ, she studied literature and theatre and was introduced to a handsome medical student at a college dance. She married Roy Payne in the chapel, and the couple danced together for the rest of their lives.

Anna worked as an executive secretary for the Oregon Academy of General Practice and created a welcoming home in Milwaukie, Oregon, where she and Roy raised four children. She did volunteer work in health education and politics, and served on the Health Education Advisory Committee for the state, on the Clackamas County Budget Committee, and on the Board of Equalization. She loved to cook. Sunday dinners were as much about sustenance of the soul as of the body, and the cast of characters varied widely.

The Payne home at Cannon Beach was an important place of both contemplation and celebration for Anna, family, and friends. She was active in politics and with the Oregon Medical Association Auxiliary, and inspired many young people to community engagement. Anna was an amazing seamstress who often wore her own handmade designer-style fashions. After Roy retired from his medical practice, they enjoyed years of travel. He preceded her in death. Anna is survived by her children, Bruce Payne, Ginger Payne Keller, Roy Payne, and Clare Symmons.

Appeared in ºìÌÒÊÓƵ magazine: December 2019