Rosa Maybelle Paxton Payne was born in Clifton Forge, VA to J.W.M. and Merle Westerman Paxton. She grew up there until she attended Vanderbilt Nursing School in Nashville, Tennessee, where she met her future husband, Dr. Gabe Aubrey Payne. They married and lived in Hopkinsville, KY, her husband’s family home. Dr. Payne was a beloved pediatrician in “Hoptown,” and they raised three daughters, Katherine Morris (Jim), of Roanoke, VA, Karolyn Dey (Tom), of Pagosa Springs, CO and Anne Nicastro (Nick) of Williamsburg, VA. Maybelle was a graduate of Averett College in Danville, VA, and attended Vanderbilt University and Belmont College in Nashville, TN. She was very active in church and civic affairs. After World War II she started the Red Cross swimming and life-saving program in Hopkinsville. She also helped organize the Cumberland Valley Girl Scout Association and was a Scout leader for many years. She was a Charter member of the Hopkinsville Junior Auxiliary and served as the first President. She was active in the League of Women Voters and the Readers Guild, a local literary club in Hopkinsville. In 1953 she was selected “First Lady of Hopkinsville” by Beta Sigma Phi. She and Dr. Payne were team members of many religious emphasis weeks on college campuses and often hosted international students in their home. They taught Sunday School at First Baptist Church in Hopkinsville and at the Cadiz Baptist Church in Cadiz, KY when they lived in Cadiz on Lake Barkley. She loved music and sang soprano in the church choir for many years. While in Hopkinsville, she was active in the church missionary society and in the medical auxiliary as well as on the board of the Salvation Army. Dr. Payne’s family were close friends of Ned Breathitt’s family and Mrs. Payne was involved in Ned’s successful political campaign for Governor of KY. In 1958 they were member of a Baptist World Alliance medical mission team which worked in 27 countries. One of the highlights of the trip was a stop at Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s hospital in Africa. They spoke to over 200 churches and civic organizations after the 3 month tour. She and Dr. Payne raised roses and orchids and were active members of the Pennyrile Rose Society in KY and the Middle Tennessee Orchid Society in Nashville, TN where she served in many capacities. She and Dr. Payne travelled extensively and were avid bridge players. They organized an interdenominational retreat called “Fellowship at Barkley” which met annually at Lake Barkley State Park in western KY for many years. Soon after Dr. Payne died, she moved back to her hometown of Clifton Forge, VA where she enjoyed the Rainbow Mountain Garden Club and played lots of bridge. In 2005 she moved to The Glebe in Daleville (Botetourt County) Virginia, near Roanoke, VA. She was one of the first residents there and lived in a beautiful cottage where she loved the views of the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains. She was quite active in the community and eventually moved to the Assisted Living area and later to the Healthcare (nursing) section. Her survivors include her three daughters, her brother Fred Paxton of Clifton Forge, her sister Charlotte Tyson of Cary, NC, her brother in law and his wife, Dr. Faxon and Frances Payne, of Nashville, as well as her five grandchildren who called her NaNa: Emily Moorman Wingert (Jeff) and Brad Moorman (Joey), both of Denver, CO; Keith Aubrey Morris (Miranda) of Roanoke, VA; Ben Nicastro (Jenna) of Richmond, VA; Sarah Nicastro Kelly (Jeff) of Hummelstown, PA and her 10 great grandchildren: Gabe Wingert and Sophia Wingert of Denver; Logan, Natalie, Luke and Ava Morris of Roanoke; and Brady, Rian, Carlin and Silas Kelly of Hummelstown, PA. She also had many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly. Graveside services will be held in Hopkinsville, KY on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 11:00AM where she will be buried next to her beloved husband of 55 years. Condolences may be made to The Glebe Benevolent Fund, 200 The Glebe Boulevard, Daleville, VA 24083, to The Clifton Forge Baptist Church, 511 McCormick Boulevard, Clifton Forge, VA 24422 , or to the Alzheimer’s Association, alz.org.