The City of Newton is mourning for the loss of Ward 3 Alderman Ray Payne.
I can’t imagine how his 
wife and family are taking the loss and because of the nature of the way this accident happened, it’s even worse than normal as the Mississippi Highway Patrol has yet to release a formal report of what happened. There’s still a lot of uncertainty of what happened, and because of that, services for his funeral have not yet been set as of Monday.
Ray was loved by the whole community. Sure, you may not have always agreed with everything that Ray did or said, but you never questioned that he loved his family, the Newton school district or the city he called home.
His passion was evident and unwavering. I remember when the Newton basketball team played up here at Union, he was passionate about supporting the Tigers. Sometimes, that passion might have rubbed some the wrong way, especially the referees on this night I’m thinking of.
However, he was always the first one to step up to the plate and defend his city and school. I respected that passion.
I considered Ray a good friend of mine and the newspaper, and I, like many of you, was devastated by the news. I can’t imagine being the person who was trying to check in with him on Tuesday night to let him know what the Newton Board of Aldermen did that night or just wanted to say hello and couldn’t get through.
His loss not only affects me professionally, but also personally. I considered Ray a good friend. He’d be a guy that might give me a hard time when Alabama beat Auburn in the Iron Bowl, which happened two of the three years, but he was always willing to help me out when I needed help with a story.
And he loved to share his faith.
In his final Facebook post on April 17 a few hours before he passed away, Payne said, “Lord, I’m asking You to empty me of me and fill me up with more of You. Let love abide and make peace abound, so that others may receive the overflow from my relationship with You, in the name of Jesus. Amen!!”
What a final message to leave to everyone.
Ray, thank you and I hope to see you in heaven one of these days!
Contact Brent at bmaze@-newtoncountyappeal.com.
