Retired educator and loving mother, grandmother, and aunt, Mary Nell Payne of Section, Alabama died on Sunday, April 24, 2022.
She is survived by her three children, Pamela Payne of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Victor Payne and Melanie Payne, both of Section, Alabama; two grandchildren, Daniel Allen of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Christopher Allen of Indianapolis, Indiana. Mary Nell also has one remaining sibling, Kathryn Hartline of Henagar, Alabama, as well as several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
Born in Hollytree, Alabama on November 4, 1923, Mary Nell attended Paint Rock Valley School graduating in 1944. She immediately enrolled in Florence State Teachers College (now UNA). She began teaching third grade in the Fall of 1944. one of her students was her brother, the late Boyd Hambrick-a third grader at the time. Mary Nell moved on to teach elementary education at Macedonia Junior High School. She lived at the boarding house for teachers run by the late Eula Wellborn, where she met Eula’s nephew, Elliotte Payne, who would become her husband on May 5, 1951.
Mary Nell later finished her BS in Elementary Education from Athens College (now Athens State University) in the summer of 1971. She retired in 1987 after a distinguished 35-year career. Then she became an active member of the retired teachers’ guild of Jackson County.
Mary Nell also took up the art of quilting. She was a member of the “Peace by Piece” quilting guild of Jackson County. She quilted over 30 quilts from 1987-2012-including an award-winning applique quilt called “Boston Garden”. She was a devoted member of Corinth Baptist Church.
Funeral services for Mary Nell will be Saturday, April 30, 2022 at 1 p.m. at Scottsboro Funeral Home. After the funeral, there will be a graveside service at Corinth Cemetery in Macedonia. Visitation will be at the funeral home beginning at 11 a.m. until time of service. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice in memory Mary Nell.
Arrangements Entrusted to Scottsboro Funeral Home.
