V. Eileen Payne

V. Eileen Payne, 78, of Oak Grove, MO entered into rest on Friday, December 28, 2024 surrounded by loved ones.  Memorial Services will be held at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, January 2, 2025 at First Baptist Church Oak Grove, Oak Grove, MO. The family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until service time at the church.  

Eileen was born February 19, 1946 in Portland, Oregon to Otto and Annabelle Cook.  She married Gary Payne on December 19, 1967 and together they enjoyed many adventures in life. Among one of her favorite things was riding alongside Gary in their prized convertible in car show parades and tossing donated teddy bears to the excited children.  Eileen was employed at Harmon Electronics, was a bank teller, a children’s Nursery Attendant at First Baptist Church and provided at-home daycare in Oak Grove. She also held the proud title as President of the Elvis Fan Club for 4 years.   She was a huge fan of chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecake, and strawberry margaritas, and a master spaghetti chef and lobster lover.

Eileen was preceded in death by her parents, brothers: James Cook of Leesville, Louisiana, Rick Cook of Jasper, Missouri and her son, Tim Payne, who passed in 2005.

Eileen is survived by her wonderful husband of 57 years, Gary; siblings: Loretta Reynolds of Moline IL, Art Cook of Las Vegas; daughters: Melody Payne of Oak Grove, Natalie Phillips of North KC, Gary Gene Payne of Oak Grove, Jason Payne of Oak Grove, 10 nieces and nephews, 6 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren.

Arrangements: Royer Funeral Home ~ Oak Grove, MO (816) 690-4441

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Dianne Gregg

    1 Jan 2025 Reply

    Eileen was a Beautiful person inside and out, she was always the life of the party and will be missed greatly❤️

  2. Tina Cook

    2 Jan 2025 Reply

    Aunt Vi was an amazing aunt. She had this way of making you feel like you were her most favorite person in the whole world. The most beautiful part of that is she made us all feel that way! We were all her favorites, and she was ours. It never mattered how much time passed since you´d been over; she was always waiting with open arms to welcome you back. I was lucky enough to get to spend time with her during her last couple days and was comforted by being able to see that she was still here. She was still listening and understanding everything. Communication was difficult for her but I understood what she was feeling. We all did. A chance to say goodbye is rare but we all got that and for that I will be forever thankful. I am thankful to God for giving me my aunt Vi. I am thankful to her for making me feel loved my whole life. One day we will see eachother again. Until then, my sweet aunt, I hope you are dancing in the sky.. surrounded by family, next to your son, waiting with open arms to welcome us all someday.. just like you did here.

  3. JoAnn & Jerry Miller

    2 Jan 2025 Reply

    (we are in Texas)
    Eileen was “Vi” to us BEFORE we went along with “Eileen” as her name. We love her & will miss her. And we will never ever forget her. She was My (JoAnn’s) Maid of Honor at our wedding Dec 31, 1966 and really a VIP to us (to me). She was always the perfect friend & someone we wanted to see when our trips took us back to Missouri. She & I had belonged to the same church & our pastor then knew we were close friends & probably always would be. Our pastor (together) was a always a friend to both of us. Besides hanging out together we both loved ELVIS and
    that music. If we came into town she always made time to get together – to see us. As i read this obituary I never realized her dad’s name was “OTTO”. My dad’s name was PERRY OTTO ………. (we seldom see that name ) We feel sure we will be with her again – in heaven. It is a privilege to have had her as our friend. And a privilege to know
    Gary also. She loved her own children so much and I do recall one thing she used to say: “I work in my church nursery and get my “baby fix”.) Yes, she always loved babies and children. Everything I know about Vi Eileen is beautiful – just as she is forever beautiful to her friends. We will miss her (here) and are thankful we knew her and Gary both… also i remember her first 2 children as they were close to same age as my little Kevin. It is hard to condense my thoughts but you see we are thankful for ALL the memories of V. Eileen Payne.

  5. Lisa Ackley Walters

    9 Jan 2025 Reply

    I would like to share my condolences with Eileen’s children and husband, Gary. Eileen was such a sweet person. I spent many nights at their home as a child with fond memories. I lost my mom 2 years ago and recently went through her recipe basket. There it was…Eileen’s spaghetti sauce recipe! My mom made it for our family too. I have never made it and am vowing to do so now. I love you all and have you in my thoughts and prayers.

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