Rodger E. Payne

Chief Master Sergeant Rodger E. Payne (Ret.), a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at the age of 94.

Graveside services will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery on Friday, October 13, 2023, at 2 pm.  A Celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m at the Lampasas Methodist Church in Lampasas.

Rodger was born on April 2, 1929, in Sadler, Texas, to Everett H. Payne and Lillian I. Sawyer Payne.  He grew up in North Texas and graduated from Southmayd High School in Denison, Texas, 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 in the world and in the US.  He was also 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 a dedicated employee who always went the extra mile.

Rodger was a loving husband 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 solid foothold in life.

Rodger was also a devoted father and grandfather.  He cherished his time with his children and grandchildren.

In addition to his wife, Rodger was preceded in death by his parents and his sister.  He is survived by his brother, Ralph Payne; his sons, Ronald Payne, Russell Payne, and James Payne; his daughters, April Neely and Kathryn Payne; his grandson, Jared Payne.  And 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Please do not send flowers, please consider donating to a food bank, or homeless.