A funeral service for Mrs. Frances Payne, age 85, of Carthage, TX, will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, at Jimerson-Lipsey Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. William Everett officiating. Interment will follow in Shady Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. Mrs. Payne passed away on Sunday morning, Sept. 1, 2013, at her home in Carthage.

Frances Perkins Payne was born Nov. 14, 1927, in Deweyville, TX to the late Thomas Harvey and Alma Minyard Perkins. She attended school in Deweyville and went on to attend Baylor University where she graduated with a business degree. While at Baylor, she was a member of the Peer Club Sorority, which is now Delta Delta Delta. Upon graduation, she returned to Deweyville to teach school. Mrs. Payne moved to Carthage in 1951, continuing her teaching career with Carthage I.S.D., where she taught third grade. She married Milton L. Payne on June 2, 1952, in Henderson and together they had two children. They celebrated over 59 years of marriage before he preceded her in death on March 21, 2012. Mrs. Payne was a member of Central Baptist Church since 1951, where she taught Sunday school and was a member of the Women's Missionary Union. She was also active in Camp Fire and led troops while her daughters were in school. Mrs. Payne was a Charter member of the Carthage Service League, which founded the Sammy Brown Public Library. She has been a member of the Carthage Book Club for over 50 years and received the Lifetime Membership Award in July of 2013. Mrs. Payne was also preceded in death by her sister, Nan Schofield Montgomery.

Mrs. Payne was well know for her expertise and love for cooking. She rarely cooked the same recipe twice and her family would let her know if what she cooked was a "keeper". After years of collecting and saving the "keeper" recipes that her family enjoyed, she decided to publish a cookbook of her collected recipes. Many families in Panola County are able to enjoy those recipes because of her cookbook entitled Keepers. Mrs. Payne loved her family and was happiest when they were all home and she was cooking for them. Mrs. Payne was also an excellent seamstress and loved to create heirloom dresses for her granddaughters when they were young.

Mrs. Payne is survived by her two daughters, Christie Payne Rose and husband Randal and Cindy Payne Stark and husband Joel, all of Arlington; four grandchildren Cammy Rose of Texarkana, Alan Rose of Arlington, and Abby and Amy Stark of Arlington; and niece, Nan Evelyn Ginocchi of Lehigh Acres, FL. Numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, great-nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews also survive Mrs. Payne.

The family would like to extend a special thank-you to Mary Anderson and Sue Smith as well as Heart's Way Hospice for helping in the care giving of Frances Payne.

Serving as pallbearers are Jimmy Payne, David Murphy, Randy Payne, Gary Payne, Kemmy Henderson, John Turner, Gene Giles, and Bobby Moseley.

Serving as honorary pallbearers are Jerry Hanzsen, J.R. Duke, Foster Murphy, Lynn Vincent, and Don Lipsey.

If desired, memorials can be made to Central Baptist Church, 220 W. Sabine, Carthage, TX 75633 or the church of your choice.

A guestbook may be signed online at www.jimerson-lipsey.com.