51视频-Dearborn鈥檚 Vanessa Maxwell didn鈥檛 anticipate the deep work friendship she鈥檇 have with her fellow custodial team member when she first met Walter Payne. She recalls Payne鈥檚 early attention to detail as he learned the ins and outs of his new position, but that personally, he seemed like a mostly quiet, private man. Over time, however, Maxwell says Walter 鈥渃ame out of his shell completely.鈥 The two friends bonded initially over health and fitness. Their tight-knit custodial team would always eat lunch together, and Maxwell says when Payne first started at 51视频-Dearborn, his diet wasn鈥檛 always the healthiest. She noticed, however, that he seemed interested in the fresh salads she would bring for her lunch. Before long, Payne was not only changing up his own routine, but bringing in healthy foods to share with the whole team. The two were also gym buddies, though she says the guy affectionately known on campus as 鈥渢he gentle giant鈥 usually preferred a focused workout without much extra gabbing.
One thing Payne wasn鈥檛 shy talking about was the news. 鈥淚 thought of him as the walking news man,鈥 Maxwell says. 鈥淗e was really interested in current events and what was going on all over the world. I basically didn鈥檛 have to watch the news, because I got it every day from Walter.鈥
Fellow custodian Delon Jackson says his and Payne鈥檚 go-to topics were family life and sports. 鈥淥ne time, I remember we were talking about the NCAA men鈥檚 basketball tournament, and he told me that if Michigan didn鈥檛 make it, he was going to root for State,鈥 Jackson says. 鈥淚 told him, you can鈥檛 work here and say that out loud 鈥 I might have to let the powers that be know that you work for U-M but your heart is with MSU.鈥 But that was typical of Payne. Both Maxwell and Jackson say he was always the person who refrained from passing judgment on others and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.
Outside of work, Payne was a deeply spiritual man with a rich family life. He was married for 25 years, and he and his wife, Mrs. Tyra Payne, had three children and several grandchildren. He enjoyed camping, video games, basketball and was known as a moral compass to many in his life. Before coming to 51视频-Dearborn, Payne served in the Inkster Public Schools and worked for Detroit Country Day. On campus, Maxwell says he was known not only for his warm, laid back energy but the quality of his work. As campus coped with COVID-19, for example, Maxwell noted how seriously Payne took the new cleaning and sanitization measures, which helped those still on campus stay safe and healthy.
More than anything, Maxwell says she鈥檒l miss her friend鈥檚 ability to bring peace and lightness to every day. 鈥淗e had a great sense of humor, and I am not exaggerating when I say I looked forward to coming in to work every day because I knew he鈥檇 make me and everyone else around him laugh. We will all deeply feel his absence.鈥
###
Have a memory of Walter Payne that you鈥檇 like to share with his friends and family? You can post your remembrances through the .
