Retired Chief Master Sgt. Rodger E. Payne died on Sept. 28, 2023, at the age of 94.
Graveside services will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery on Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. A celebration of his life is planned for Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lampasas Methodist Church.
Rodger was born on April 2, 1929, in Sadler to Everett H. Payne and Lillian I. Sawyer Payne. He grew up in North Texas and graduated from Southmayd High School in Denison in 1946.
Rodger enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1946 and then re-enlisted to the U.S. Air Force in 1949. He served for 23 years, retiring as a chief master sergeant in August 1969.
During his Air Force career, Rodger traveled to many places around the world and in the U.S. He also was a pioneer in computer power supply development. He held a patent #5420779 for a circuit design to protect the power inverter used in many computers screen backlighting.
After retiring from the Air Force, Rodger worked for Texas Instruments for 20 years and Dell for 12 years. He was known as a dedicated employee who always went the extra mile.
Rodger was married to his wife, Wanda F. Lindsey, for 71 years. They met at a softball game while Rodger was stationed at Camp Hood in 1950.
Wanda and Rodger enjoyed spending time with their family and friends, and they were always willing to help others. They enjoyed mentoring their young renters and helping them get a foothold in life.
Rodger also cherished his time with his children and grandchildren.
In addition to his wife, Rodger was preceded in death by his sister.
He is survived by his brother, Ralph Payne; sons Ronald Payne, Russell Payne and James Payne; daughters April Neely and Kathryn Payne; grandson, Jared Payne; and 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
The family requested no flowers, but donations could be made to a food bank or to the homeless.
