Joan Ann Payne

Joan Ann Payne (nee Ibold), age 90, of Wayne passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, while receiving the loving care of her family.

Joan was born in Jersey City and was one of two children of Alfred and Catherine Ibold. In 1935, the family moved to their own home in Union City.  Joan attended Emerson High School graduating with the class of 1949.  In her later years of high school, she was an Assistant Girl Scout Leader.  After her graduation, Joan was hired as an executive secretary at Varley Ford Auto Sales in Hoboken, NJ.  Joan was employed there for ten years and was well loved and respected during her time there, making life-long friends.

In 1953, Joan’s father and Joan’s future husband’s uncle collaborated on a matchmaking plan to get Joan and a handsome young man by the name of James Payne together on a date, going bowling and later to an ice cream parlor.  The two of them hit it off and started dating.  As fate would have it, they fell in love and on November 5, 1955 Joan and James became husband and wife.  The couple were married in St Michael’s Church in Union City, NJ and honeymooned in Bermuda.  
 
After their honeymoon, the newlyweds moved into the Union City home of Joan’s parents. They lived there until 1970.  During that time, Joan and James welcomed the births of their children, David, and Karen.  As her family started to grow, Joan and James moved to Dumont, NJ, where they continued to raise their family, and remained until 2001.  In 2001 they moved to Wayne and have been there ever since.

Shortly before her first child was born, Joan decided to become a full time homemaker.  This was her calling and caring for her children gave her great pleasure. She was an extremely devoted mother, always there for her children whenever they needed her.  She was a class mother over the years her children attended school.  After her daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at a very early age, Joan became an active member of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.  Joan was also a proud volunteer for Englewood Hospital in Englewood, NJ for over ten years.  Joan was also devoted to her Catholic Faith.  She was an active parishioner of St Michael’s Church in Union City, and later of St Mary’s Church in Dumont, and most recently of Annunciation RC Church in Wayne.

Joan and James owned a home in Jupiter, FL and were traditional “Snow Birds,” spending their winters in Florida.  Travel was one the couple’s favorite past times.  Joan and her family have traveled extensively over the years to a variety of destinations such as Florida, California, Hawaii, France, Ireland, Aruba, and the Bahamas.  They also enjoyed traveling by way of cruises, visiting many of the islands throughout the Caribbean.  Joan also traveled to Italy on a memorable high school trip with her daughter Karen.  However, Joan’s and James’ favorite vacation spot was their honeymoon destination of Bermuda.  For years, Joan, James, David, and Karen traveled to Bermuda, staying at Elbow Beach or similar resorts, and revisiting the island where they spent their honeymoon.  While in Bermuda during the Bicentennial in 1976, they had a close-up view of the procession of the Queen of England (Queen Elizabeth II), who was visiting at the time.  They also treasured yearly vacations to Woodloch Pines in the Poconos area of Pennsylvania.

Joan made friends easily, wherever she went, either as a student in school, an employee at her job, or amongst the neighbors wherever she lived. Joan would get together regularly with friends that she had known since kindergarten. Joan arranged to have lunch with these ladies once a month until as late as 2018.  The relationship between the friends was so special, an article was written about them in Woman’s Day Magazine.

Joan was a kind and generous woman who never had a bad thing to say about anyone.  She was a tremendous cook and baker, and her home always smelled wonderfully from the variety of recipes she used.  She was famous for her Apple Dumplings, and was able to make Pineapple Upside-down Cake from scratch, which is no easy task.  She loved hosting holidays and family events.  Aside from all of Joan’s hobbies, talents, and interests, her greatest passion was her family.  Nothing in the world meant more to Joan than providing for and spending time with her family.  She truly treasured spending time with her grandchildren who affectionately called her “Oma and Grandma.”  Often times Joan would be found sitting on the floor playing with her grandchildren as if she were one of them.  Joan and her husband James cherished sixty-five years of loving and loyal marriage together until James’ passing in July of 2020.  Joan was truly a special person who touched the lives of many people and will be sincerely missed by everyone that knew her.

Joan is survived by her son David Payne and his wife Helen of Jupiter, FL, her daughter Karen McMillin and her husband William of Wayne, NJ,  four grandchildren; Samuel Payne of Jupiter, FL, Olivia Payne of Jupiter, FL, Audrey McMillin of Wayne, NJ, Brian McMillin of Wayne, NJ, and one brother Robert Ibold and his wife Charlotte of Bergenfield, NJ.  Joan was predeceased by her husband James C. Payne in July of 2020.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joan’s name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), 200 Vesey Street, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10281.  http://www.jdrf.org