Richard H. Payne, 78, of Bluffton, passed away Friday morning, May 1, 2026, at Christian Care Retirement Community.
Richard was born on Feb. 7, 1948, in Bluffton to J. Russell and Gwen (Sommers) Payne. He graduated from Lancaster High School in 1966 and furthered his education at International Business School. He was the vice president of Old First National Bank for many years. He also worked for Pizza Hut. Richard was a member of First United Church of Christ and had more recently been attending Life Community Church. He enjoyed Christmas, reading and spending time with his family and his granddaughters.
On March 7, 1970, Richard and Sharon Carney were married in Bluffton. The couple has been blessed with 56 years of marriage.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon Payne of Bluffton; and a son, Reid (Angie) Payne of Martinsville; along with two granddaughters, Brianna and Morgan Payne.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Ronald Payne, Virginia Hartman and Carol Fiechter.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 2026, at the Thoma/Rich, Lemler Funeral Home in Bluffton with Pastor Mike Gilbert officiating.
Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be made to Stability First in Martinsville and may be directed though the funeral home.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Lemler family of Thoma/Rich, Lemler Funeral Home in Bluffton. Friends may share online condolences with the family at www.thomarich.com.