Tribute to
Bruce Phillip Payne
June 29, 1947 to March 31, 2005
 
 
Happy Birthday Bruce.. you should have been 60 today, but you were robbed. 
Love and miss you,
Brenda
 
 
 
Two Years Today
Dear Bruce,
 
It's been two very long and yet, very short years since you were taken away from us without a chance to say goodbye. So much has changed and there are so many wonderful things you have missed. You have a brand new grandson, almost 2 weeks old. He is precious and perfect, just like his big brother Jack. The fact that they will never get to know you just hurts. Many things we miss sharing with you just hurt. But time is healing the day to day pain and we are thankful for having had your love and friendship for the many years that we did. Some people never get that, so we were very lucky.
 
Wherever you are, we hope that you are proud of your family and keeping watch over those two little men as the grow and become adventuresome & inquisitive, just like their grandpa Bruce was. They are bound to be a pair of rambunctious boys, what with that red hair, and your spirit. But we know that they will grow to be special young men because that same spirit will help to watch over them and guide them throughout their lives.. 
We miss you Bruce and each time we look at these boys, we are reminded of you . We can see you in them and that's a wonderful gift. Thank you. 
With Love,
Tom & Brenda

 

Happy 59th Birthday Bruce
Bruce,
I hope that wherever you are today, that you are able to provide comfort to your family. They are in such need of that. Today will be an important milestone in the closure of your passing. Your family will complete your wishes for burial and we will make a toast to your life. 
 
Your family is moving forward, but so many things are constant reminders of your time here and the things that you are missing and they miss sharing with you and that it makes if difficult at times for them to be truly happy. 
 
Fathers day having just passed, was a tremendous milestone for your children. How they miss you and how it pains me to watch them grieve. I know that time alone is the only thing that can heal their hurt, but you and I both know how much they will suffer in the meantime. 
 
I just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you today, with a heavy heart, but also remembering how many funny and happy birthday's we shared. I am thankful for them and will draw on their memories to help me today. 
 
So Happy Birthday Bruce, wherever you are. You are often in my thoughts and largely in them today. 
                                                                                            With Love & Friendship, 
                                                                                            Brenda
 
 
Dear Bruce,
It's been a year today and I miss you. I am sad for all the things you have missed and will continue to miss everyday. Your grandson is like a slice of heaven. He is the happiest little boy and I can only imagine your pride as you look down upon him and watch his every move. I am comforted by the fact that you did get to meet him before you were taken from us. I am saddened by the fact that he will never know you or remember you or enjoy all wonderful things about you that we did. And also that he will never see all the creative ways in which you dealt with everyday life. You were a "one-of-a-kind" man and no one will ever fill your shoes. 
 
 
 
I can't help but to feel angry when I think about how you got robbed in so many ways... and how we did too. Over the past year, there have been so many changes in the lives of your wife and children and friends. We are all moving on... there is no other choice. But I know that we all think of you... with a heavy heart at times, and with a smile and a laugh at other times. For me, the sad thoughts are more brief now and the good times that we shared play abundantly through my head and across my lips. Thank goodness there were far more of them then sad. 
 
It's true... time is the great healer. But today, just today, the tears flow freely and the pain is intense and I will allow it to consume me. Tomorrow, I will smile and think happy thoughts of you. I do miss you and our "love/hate" relationship. No one else can get to me quite the same as you did! With love and friendship forever, Brenda.

 

 
Bruce Phillip Payne, 57, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away suddenly on March 31, 2005, at his home, after complications of Lung Surgery.
 
Bruce was born on June 29, 1947 in Lowville, NY. He attended grade school in Cranberry Lake and graduated from Cobleskill Central High School. After four years in the Navy, he graduated from Alfred State College with a degree in Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. He was married to Natalie Cecile Gallo of Boonville, NY on April 21, 1978. The couple has two grown children, Harley Arthur Payne & Rachael Anne Dann (Thomas J. Dann). They recently became grandparents to their first grandchild Jackson Phillip Dann.
 
Bruce was a machinist and mechanic and had been last employed with Liftech Handling in Syracuse for the past 11 years.  He previously worked at several other local equipment companies.
 
Bruce was an avid hunter and enjoyed his Corvette & Harley Davidson Motorcycle. He also enjoyed boating and fishing but most of all, he enjoyed his family and friends. Bruce will be sorrowfully missed by all that knew and loved him.
 
Bruce is survived by his wife of 26 years, Natalie, his son Harley, his daughter Rachael Dann (Thomas), his grandson Jackson, brothers Michael Payne (Kathleen) of South Carolina and John Payne of West Monroe, and his sister Sherrill Lang of Parish, several nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins and many, many friends.
 
Bruce is predeceased by his father and mother, Phillip and Janice Payne previously of Boonville, and a brother Richard Payne.
 
Calling hours will be held at the Traub Funeral Home, Route 11, Central Square, NY on Sunday, April 3, 2005 from 3-7pm.   A memorial service will take place at the Caughdenoy Methodist Church on Monday, April 4 at 11:00 a.m.

Contributions may be made to the Caughdenoy Methodist Church in Caughdenoy, NY. 

Photo Gallery - Click here for more photos
(Please note: These are not full quality images. 
If you wish to get a copy of the CD with the full quality images, please email me at bdann@twcny.rr.com with your name and address and I will send you a CD.) 

A letter from Tom & Brenda to Bruce
 
Dear Bruce,
 
The dictionary defines a friend as a person you know well and regard with affection and trust. Our definition of a friend is you.
 
We have known you for more than 25 years! That’s more than half our lives and nearly all our married lives. You have entertained us in so many ways that it’s hard to recount them all. Our friendship with you, Natalie, Harley & Rachael has brought so much happiness into our lives that we can’t even begin to thank you all.
 
Over the years we have shared the happy occasions of picnics, birthday parties, New Year’s Eve Parties, holiday dinners, camping trips, boat rides, hunting trips, weddings, anniversaries, graduation parties, births & baptisms.
 
We have helped each other out with everything from running errands to the grocery store, to installing swimming pools in the backyard. We have swum together, bowled together, hot-tubbed together and snowmobiled together. You & Tom even went for one very memorable canoe ride together and lets not forget that you and I have carried on our own special phone relationship together for years.
 
We have also shared some of the not so happy times together such as the loss of loved ones and other trials and tribulations of day to day life. But no matter the occasion, happy or sad, good or bad, our friendship has withstood the test of time and our happy memories of you will soon consume this pain that we have in our hearts and we will think not of this day, and of the pain and the mourning, but of all the times that we laughed with, and laughed at, each other. 
 
Today is a celebration of your life, but it’s also the end to a long and wonderful story about a very special man who we will always call one of our best friends in this world. Yes Bruce, it’s you.
 
We will miss you until we see you again on the other side. Have a cold one waiting for Tom and a big lip-lock for me.
 
We will love you always and we will take good care of your family until we are all together again someday.
 
With All Our Love,
Tom and Brenda

 

Visit this page to View and Sign the online Guest Book for Bruce (It will remain active until May3, 2005.)

Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped into the next room
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way which you always used to
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household world that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effort,
Life means all that it ever meant.
It it the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near,
Just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is past, nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before, better, infinitely happier and forever- we will be together
He is Gone
 
You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he lived,
You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left.
 
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
Or you can be full of the love that you shared,
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
 
You can remember him and only that he is gone
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on,
You can cry and close your mind be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

 

The Ship
 
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!”
“Gone where?”
"Gone from my sight. That is all."

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout:

“Here she comes!”

And that is dying.

 

 

Online postings from Friends and Family. 

April 29, 2005 
Nat, Harley, Rachel, T.J.,Jackson 

We are so sorry . We all will miss Bruce , Just his name will bring tears and happy memories . 
Bruce had away of renameing things . So if you had a nick-name most likely it came from Bruce . He was so many things to so many people . Bruce had a way about him that would make you smile . Even the things he hated , ONIONS . So don't cry , That would be Bruce . My brother ,My friend , My brother in-lay ,My Uncle Bruce .I will always miss you . 
Love 
Mick & Kathy 
and Family 
Mick & Kathy Payne (Moncks Corner, SC ) 
corvette63@homexpressway.net 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 20, 2005 

Natalie & family, 
I am so sorry for your great loss. You are in my daily prayers. It seems like just yesterday we were joking around and enjoying chili dinner together at your home. Bruce touched the lives of many people by his friendliness and warm smile. I am glad he touched mine. Much love. 
Agnes 
Agnes Tarbett (Burke, VA ) 
simplyag11@aol.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 14, 2005 
Hello family friends and everyone I know. I am thinking about you Aunt Nat, Rachel, Harley, and family. I pray for you every night and hope the best for you. I love you and I hope it gets easier for you. I know its going to be very hard but it will get easier. I hope to see you in May for Mark and Sarah's wedding and I can't wait to see baby Jackson I saw the pictures of him he is soooo cute. Well god bless every one. 

Love Always 
(LITTLE REBEL) 
Laura 
Laura Payne (moncks coner, SC ) 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 12, 2005 
Payne family, 
I worked with Bruce at Liftech. He was a character who will be greatly missed around here. He always had a smile and something funny to say. I hope Bruce is up in heaven right now, racing against Dale Earnhardt and beating him! That would be heaven for Bruce. I can picture the huge grin on his face. I spent the last 3 years trying to find Bruce and Natalie at Watkins Glen. The first year I couldn't even find their site. The second year I found the site but, they weren't there, I found out later they were shopping. Last year I finally found them and got to have a beer trackside and meet Natalie. It was great to meet you, Natalie. I am so sorry for your loss. Bruce was a awesome guy! He is missed by many people. 
Ed Rohmer (Baldwinsville, NY ) 
edroh@msn.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 12, 2005 
I am very sorry for those close to Bruce. I did not know Bruce very well - I only met him once. It was this past August at Watkins Glen. My friend, Ed Rohmer, was on a mission to find Bruce one day (a hard task at the Glen!)....I went with him. I enjoyed hanging with Bruce that afternoon, in fact - it was one of the highlights of the weekend. He surely was very enjoyable to talk to . Very nice, and his hospitality made me very comfortable. Hard to find a person that makes such an impact from a short moment. 
Sandy Hicks (Rochester, NY ) 
zornows@frontiernet.net 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 11, 2005 
Dear Payne family, 

We are saddened to hear of your loss and cannot express how sorry we are. We understand this time is not an easy one and hope you are doing as well as it is expected. We will continue to think of you and will hope for the best for your friends and family. And, although it is extremely difficult as I can only imagine how awful it is to lose someone you care so much about (father, husband, grandfather, friend), but please try to take care of yourselves. 

Sincerely, 
Meredith and Rob (Mexico, NY ) 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 11, 2005 
I was so sad to hear about Bruce today. Our thoughts and prayers are with you today and every day. 
Julie French (Brewerton, NY ) 
jfrench58@yahoo.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 10, 2005 
My dear friends: 

Thank you for all of the kind words regarding Bruce. There is a hole in my heart the size of the moon, but I am consoled by the fact that I have 30 years of memories to help me get through this. He was a man who lived his life to the fullest and it was sad to see him sick. He fought valiantly to the end, without a bit of self-pity, only concern for those of us who loved him. I was very lucky to have him as long as I did and I know that he was acutely aware of how much he was loved by his family and friends. He died at peace with God and himself and now rests in a better place, where there is no pain and suffering. Thanks again my friends. 

Natalie 
Natalie Payne (Central Square, NY ) 
NataliePayne@msn.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 5, 2005 
We remember Bruce as a man who was smiling the very first time we met him, and who was smiling when we last saw him - he truly was a good man who made others happy to be around him -a rare gift, and the cornerstone of a legacy of happy memories for those who survive him. Bruce, in the tradition of Sailors and Marines, we wish you "fair winds and following seas" in your eternal journey. Dan and Teri Aguilar 
Daniel and Teri Aguilar (Pulaski, NY ) 
da13142@aol.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 5, 2005 
Dear Natalie and Family: We are so sorry for your loss. We pray that God will comfort you during this time. We were glad to have met Bruce and are now sorry to see him gone. Rejoice in his life and thank God for everything that Bruce has come through. 
God Bless, 
Jon , Kim and family DeFalco (Mexico, NY ) 
heartsland@aol.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 4, 2005 
You all are in my thoughts each and every day. You are such strong people and still loving, that is inspiring to me. I love you all very much, and know that I am here for you always. Rach- I love you very much, lets have some fun this summer and teach Jack how to swim! It would be an honor! xoxo 
Raine Dufrane (Clay, NY ) 
rdufrane@verizon.net 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 4, 2005 
Natalie and Family: 

Please accept my personal condolences with respect to your recent loss. Bruce was a great person and a pleasure to work with. I didn't have the honor of interacting with him on a daily basis like the guys did, but he was always a great help to me when needed and always with a smile and some joking around! He always fooled us with somewhat of a quiet demeanor but when it came time to add a little spice into the day, Bruce was right in the middle of the fun! 

Again, while I didn't have the honor of working closely with him, there are a couple of situations that will always stand out in my memories of Bruce. When I took the forklift operator training course and was running through the drill, Bruce spotted me on the forklift and ran yelling in the other direction and hid behind some equipment ... My best guess is that he was trying to tell me that maybe I should stick to office work! 

While Bruce was typically quiet, his corvette was ... typically not!! And even though I work on the second floor, I always knew when it was 4:30 (quittin' time!), as there was no mistaking Bruce leaving for the day with his usual loud, but grand corvette exit!! 

Sometimes it's the littlest things that you take for granted and inevitably miss so much about a person. Bruce was a great friend and co-worker to all of us. He will be missed dearly. 

Best personal regards and my deepest sympathies to you, Natalie, and your family. 

Natalie Gilman 
Liftech Equipment 
Natalie Gilman (Liverpool, NY ) 
ngilman@liftech.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 4, 2005 
Bruce, Thanks for all the laughs. You surely will be missed be all. Love, Diane & Mike Whalen 
Diane Whalen (Central Square, NY ) 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 3, 2005 
Dear Bruce, 

The dictionary defines a friend as a person you know well and regard with affection and trust. Our definition of a friend is you. 

We have known you for more than 25 years! That’s more than half our lives and nearly all our married lives. You have entertained us in so many ways that it’s hard to recount them all. Our friendship with you, Natalie, Harley & Rachael has brought so much happiness into our lives that we can’t even begin to thank you all. 

Over the years we have shared the happy occasions of picnics, birthday parties, New Year’s Eve Parties, holiday dinners, camping trips, boat rides, hunting trips, weddings, anniversaries, graduation parties, births & baptisms. 

We have helped each other out with everything from running errands to the grocery store, to installing swimming pools in the backyard. We have swum together, bowled together, hot-tubbed together and snowmobiled together. You & Tom even went for one very memorable canoe ride together and lets not forget that you and I have carried on our own special phone relationship together for years. 

We have also shared some of the not so happy times together such as the loss of loved ones and other trials and tribulations of day to day life. But no matter the occasion, happy or sad, good or bad, our friendship has withstood the test of time and our happy memories of you will soon consume this pain that we have in our hearts and we will think not of this day, and of the pain and the mourning, but of all the times that we laughed with, and laughed at, each other. 

Today is a celebration of your life, but it’s also the end to a long and wonderful story about a very special man who we will always call one of our best friends in this world. Yes Bruce, it’s you. 

We will miss you until we see you again on the other side. Have a cold one waiting for Tom and a big lip-lock for me. 

We will love you always and we will take good care of your family until we are all together again someday. 

With All Our Love, 
Tom and Brenda 
Brenda Dann (Palermo, NY ) 
bdann@twcny.rr.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 3, 2005 
Natalie, Harley, Rachael & TJ (and Jack): We are so sorry. Remember that our thoughts and prayers are with you. There was no one like Bruce, his love for family and friends was like no other. We have always considered your family as our family. In the difficult days ahead, try to remember that he is at peace with the Lord, and the Lord will see you through this difficult time. Love, Patty, Dave and kids. 
Patty and Dave Redhead (Central Square, NY ) 
predhead@twcny.rr.com 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 3, 2005 
Natalie and family, 
So sorry to read of your loss. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. 
Donna (formerly Dallas) 
Donna Martellotto Bpyce (Baldwinsville, NY ) 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 3, 2005 
Sorry for your loss, we will keep you and your family in our prayers during this most difficult time. 

Sandy DeNicola 
(Mick's sister-in -law) 
Sandrea Gladwin DeNicola (CA ) 
sandreal@comcast.net 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 3, 2005 
So sorry for your loss, you and your family are in our prayers. 

Andrea & Steve Schmidt 
Andrea Schmidt (Orange, CT ) 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 3, 2005 
Natalie: You and your family have my deepest sympathy. You are in my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. 
Patricia Kinner (Cicero, NY )

 
 
 
Please email me at bdann@twcny.rr.com if you wish to post anything to his tribute page.