Dora Fay Payne

1915 - 2002  (87 years)

• Name	Dora Fay Payne  [1, 2]
  Birth	30 Jan 1915	Alma, Stephens County, Oklahoma   [1, 2]
  Gender	Female
  Death	7 Mar 2002	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma   [2]
  Burial	Duncan Municipal Cemetery, Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma
  Notes	The Duncan Banner Mar 12, 2002 Dora Fay Pierce Yeager Dora Fay Pierce Yeager, 87, of Oklahoma City died Thursday, March 7, 2002, in Oklahoma City. Service was held at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Assumption Catholic Church in Duncan, with the Rev. Donald Wolf officiating. Burial was in the Duncan Cemetery under the direction of Don Grantham Funeral Home. Mrs. Yeager was born on Jan. 30, 1915 , in Duncan to Thomas H. and Bessie Gentry Payne. She married Edward R. Pierce, who preceded her in death in 1951. She then married George Yeager in 1965. He preceded her in death in 1977. She was a homemaker and also worked as a bookkeeper. She was a member of Assumption Catholic Church. She is survived by one daughter, Lynn Moroney of Oklahoma City; two sisters, Anna Laura Strong of Duncan and Lois Payne Hanna of Oklahoma City. She was preceded in death by a brother, Thomas H. Payne III; a sister, Patty Gay Payne; and her parents. Grandchildren include Siobhan Moroney of Highland Park, Ill.; and Tracy Moroney of Studio City, Calif. Great-grandchildren are Michael Moroney and Anne Green of Highland Park, Ill. She was preceded in death by a brother, Thomas H. Payne III; and a sister, Patty Gay Payne. (Transcription courtesy of Lynell Cordell). Avid genealogist, and gathered much of the information contained in these files.
  Person ID	I5927	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Father	Thomas Hamilton Payne, II,   b. 20 Mar 1893, Marlow, Indian Territory d. 12 Dec 1957, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon (Age 64 years)
  Mother	Bessie Bird Gentry,   b. 14 Dec 1894, Alma, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory d. 3 May 1958, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma (Age 63 years)
  Marriage	27 Dec 1912	Stephens County, Oklahoma
  	Vol. 3, Stephens County Marriage Book: , Lic. # 101 Thomas H. Payne, 19 to Bessie Gentry, 18 married 12-27-1912 Because of his outgoing nature, it must have come as a surprise to some when Tom Payne and Bessie Gentry were married a few weeks after her 18th birthday. Bessie was timid and shy by nature, and much happier in town than in the outdoors. They had five children in fairly short order, and times were tough in Oklahoma during the dust bowl. Charles Strong, Bessie's oldest grandson, also remembers that Bessie had very high standards, which her husband found hard to live up to. She was a thorough and dedicated housekeeper, and was almost obsessive about things being neat and tidy at all times. Charles recalled a story one of Bessie's brothers related to him about dropping by one afternoon for a visit. Bessie had just mopped, and refused to let him in, not wanting her immaculate floors stepped on.
  Family ID	F21	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Edward Roscoe Pierce,   b. 15 May 1909, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma d. Abt 1951, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma (Age 41 years)
  Marriage	27 Mar 1935	Jefferson County, Oklahoma
  	Jefferson Co. OK Marriages Book 12, Pg. 483 Pierce, Roscoe, 25, Duncan, Stephens Co. OK Payne, Faye, 20, Duncan, Stephens Co. OK March 27, 1935 (Courtesy of Lynell Cordell)
  Children	1. Living
  Family ID	F1095	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	20 Aug 2009

  
  

  Family 2	George Yeager,   b. Bef 1915   d. 1977 (Age 62 years)
  Marriage	Abt 1965
  Family ID	F1097	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	9 Dec 2006

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 30 Jan 1915 - Alma, Stephens County, Oklahoma Marriage - 27 Mar 1935 - Jefferson County, Oklahoma Death - 7 Mar 2002 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Burial - - Duncan Municipal Cemetery, Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Payne, Dora Fay This photograph was taken of Fay as an infant
  		Payne, Anna Laura ca 1916 with her sister Dora Fay This picture of Fay (l) and Anna Laura (r) was taken when they were still toddlers
  		St. Elizabeth's Academy, Purcell, Oklahoma, Established 1888; Students PLEASE HELP US IDENTIFY the Unknown students in this picture Top Row: Appears to be one of the RICE sisters from Noble, Oklahoma Middle Row: Unknown, Bessie Gentry PAYNE (the mother of Lois and Fay PAYNE) Bottom Row: Lois Marie PAYNE, Fay PAYNE, UNKNOWN Please help us identify the unknown Students
  		St. Elizabeth's Academy, Purcell, Oklahoma, Established 1888; Payne and Rice sisters Top Row: Fay PAYNE, Anna Laura PAYNE, Jessie RICE Bottow Row: RICE Twin, Lois PAYNE, RICE Twin
  		St. Elizabeth's Academy, Purcell, Oklahoma, Established 1888; Students Fay Payne and Jessie Rice
  		PAYNE FAMILY REUNION - 1927 Home of Aunt Annie (O'Neill) Sparks - 303 Hickory, Duncan, Oklahoma This 1927 Payne Reunion photo is of 41 people. On September 21-23, 1999, Charles R. Strong along with his mother, Anna Laura "Rooney" (Payne) Strong and two aunts ? Dora Fay (Payne) Pierce-Yeager and Lois Marie (Payne) Hanna reviewed the picture. The late Lewis Adair Payne had already prepared his own list identifying all persons. Both list had errors. Mary Gwendolyn ?Marilynn? (Payne) Wade of Marlow later helped Charles Strong reconcile the two lists and correct some errors. One reason for differences in the two lists was due to the existence of two pictures, which were almost, but not exactly, identical. This photo slightly differs from Aunt Annie?s version. . NOTE-The list below is numbered left to right - top to bottom. The first number is sequential in total, and the second number is position within the row. TOP ROW 1 1 Paul Puckett, Boy living with Hattie (Brown) Payne. 2 2 Mabel Lyles 3 3 Baby is Mary Gwendolyn ?Marilynn? (Payne) Wade. 4 4 Joseph Ray ?Jodey? Payne Jr. 5 5 Virginia (Payne) Hardin - d. of Walter W., # 22 below 6 6 Vera (Payne) Roberts-Young, -d. of Walter W. #22 and mother of #30 below 7 7 Mary Ethyl (Payne) Benton-Madison-Parker. d. of W. W. # 22 8 8 Claude Chadwick Payne 9 9 Ruth Hazel Witherspoon-d. of Mable (Gentry) Witherspoon, d. of John Price Gentry. 10 10 Florence Scott d. of # 23 Lou Payne Scott & niece of W.W. Payne 11 11 Marvin Walter Payne Sr. Father of #'s 8, 28, 37, & 38 12 12 Gracie (Gentry) Payne Wife of # 11 Marvin W. Payne 13 13 Rene Gentry - s. of Frank Melton and Ada (Jones) Gentry, and nephew of Gracie #12 14 14 Edna (Surginer) Payne, First wife of John Earl (Dukie) Payne 15 15 John Earl, (Dukie) Payne 16 16 Caroline "Carrie" (Cover) Payne 17 17 Harry Carl Payne,Sr. MIDDLE ROW 18 1 William "Billy" West - Grandson of # 23, Louise (Payne) Scott 19 2 Joseph Ray Payne, s. of Wm. Henry H. Payne 20 3 C. Frank Payne, Brother to # 11, Marvin W. Payne Sr. 21 4 Annie (O'Neill) Sparks, Wife of #26 22 5 Walter Winkle Payne 23 6 Louise "Lula" (Payne) Scott 24 7 Hattie (Brown) Payne 25 8 Orville Scott 26 9 James Rufus Sparks f. of # 33, Mary Pat (Sparks) Kubic BOTTOM ROW 27 1 Anna Laura "Rooney" (Payne) Strong 28 2 Mary Olive (Payne) Thompson 29 3 Mary Ethyl (Benton) Jones 30 4 Clifford "Bosco" Roberts 31 5 Virginia Payne, sister to # 4 above, and d. of Joseph R. & g.d. Wm. H. H. Payne ? 32 6 Dora Fay (Payne) Pierce - Yeager 33 7 Mary Pat (Sparks) Kubik 34 8 Francis Hardin, d. of Virginia Payne Hardin, # 5 above, (in lap of Mary Pat) 35 9 Thelma (Gentry) Callaway - d. of Edgar J. Gentry & g.d. of Wm. M. Gentry 36 10 Lois Marie (Payne) Hanna 37 11 Lewis Adair Payne 38 12 Marvin Walter "Snort" Payne Jr. in Lewis' lap. 39 13 Willie Lee "Billy" Payne ? 40 14 Paul James Payne 41 15 Jean Bruce (Benton) Turner
  		Gentry, Bessie Bird ca 1930 with her daughters This picture, of Bessie with her daughters, was probably taken around 1930. From left to right are Bessie Gentry Payne, Anna Laura Payne, Fay Payne, Lois Payne, and Patty Gay Payne.
  		_Payne, Dora Fay Wife of Roscoe Pierce B. 1915 Oklahoma D. 2002 Oklahoma
  		Payne, Dora Fay ca 1930 This glamorous photo of Fay Payne was probably taken around the time of her marriage to Roscoe Pierce.
  		Gentry, Bessie ca 1940, with son Thomas Hardrick Payne and daughter Fay Payne Pierce Bessie Payne went to visit her children in California in the 1940's. This photo was taken at Fay Pierce's home, 847 1/2 Pointsettia Place in Los Angeles.
  		Payne, Dora Fay ca 1940's Appears to have been taken in the 1940's either in California or Oklahoma
  		Payne, Dora Fay ca 1940's Appears to have been taken in the 1940's either in California or Oklahoma
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Payne, Anna Laura, Fay, Tom, Lois ca 1956 The Payne Siblings, circa 1956. From left to right, standing in order of their birth, Anna Laura (42), Fay (41), Tom (39) and Lois (36)
  		Payne sisters with family r t l: Fay Payne Yeager, Homer Strong with wife Anna Laura Payne Strong, Lois Payne Hanna, Amos Kubik and wife
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
  		Payne, Fay and Roonie Fay (L) and Roonie(R) on a Cruise, circa 1990. The three Payne sisters remained close friends their entire lives, often travelling with each other.
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

  
  

  Documents

  St. Elizabeth's Academy, Established 1888, Purcell, Oklahoma Founded in February, 1888, one year before Oklahoma was opened to settlement and barely a year after Purcell was established as a junction point on the Santa Fe, St. Elizabeth is one of Oklahoma's most famous old schools. The spacious, roomy, two-storied frame building, set in a grassy plot with a peaceful background of slender poplars, elms and cedars, is still a thing of considerable beauty. For many years it was the only educational landmark in an unsettled area, and the sight of students playing about its grounds, supervised by the black-robed nuns, against the bright southwestern skies, has become familiar to nearly all Oklahomans who have lived here any length of time. When St. Elizabeth's convent was founded, in 1888, Purcell was a part of the Chickasaw nation of the old Indian territory, and the gateway to the great ranching empire which lay to the west and south. The country then was all pastureland, heavily wooded and a ranch of 10,000 to 20,000 acres was commonplace. Most of the settlers were Chickasaws, but here were also Choctaw families, and a good many white settlers. All were eager to send their children to school and the news that St. Elizabeth's convent had opened in Purcell was welcomed far and wide. Families packed their children and brought them to board and room at the convent, or if there was no space there, boarded them in homes and they attended day school. Three eager young nuns, all now dead, of the Order of St. Francis, made their way west from Philadelphia and arrived in Purcell on Feb. 14, 1888. At the time there was under construction a three-room frame building on the same lot where the Benedictine priests had built a one-room church. Sunday services were conducted in the church which on week days was converted into two school rooms by hanging a heavy carpet to form a partition. By November, however, the new three-room frame building was completed and enrolment consisted of 120 pupils. Ages of these pupils ranged from 6 to 18 years. Soon, there were 25 boarders, then 50. Money for the grounds, buildings and teachers was paid for by Miss Katherine Drexel of the wealthy Philadelphia Drexel family. She had become interested in educating the Indians through the efforts of Father Vincent Jolly, O.S.B., who taught at the Sacred Heart academy situated in unsettled wilderness in what is now Pottawatomie county. Father Jolly, accompanied by Father William Capital, took turns in coming to Purcell to hold services. Father Jolly told Miss Drexel of the Indian boys and girls who needed educational opportunities, and described the great wilderness, which pioneers were still to conquer. One church was unable to bear the expense. But Miss Drexel could and did for 60 years. Miss Drexel furnished money for the grounds, buildings and early support, and a new building site was selected in 1891 by the Very Rev. Ignatius Jean, Benedictine priest, while Rev. F. Steven, director of the Indian bureau, gave the plans of the building to Miss Drexel. At her instigation, Archbishop Ryan of Philadelphia designated the Sisters of St. Francis of the Philadelphia Foundation, Mother House in Glen Riddle, Pa., to take charge of the mission. Miss Drexel also offered to pay of the sister's support. In an area known as Love's pasture, named for the late Robert Love, Purcell's founder, who proved to be very helpful to the new school, ground was broken and the building erected which still stands today. On the second floor near the chapel is a bronze plaque dedicated to the founder, the late Father Vincent Jolly. Government support by which the Indian girls' tuition was paid in part by the government was withdrawn in 1932......(Causing the sisters) to run the institution on practically no income except from Miss Drexel. For some time the sisters kept the girls without government aid from their own slender resources as teachers. Continued maintenance soon became impossible. The school shut its doors for good in 1948. (Excerpted from an August 15, 1948 article in the Daily Oklahoman about the closure of St. Elizabeth's)

  
  

• Sources

  [S410] Strong, Betty Wehunt, Genealogy prepared for Strong Family Reunion ca 1988, subsequent correspondence and emails. [S333] Ancestry.com - U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-Current [database online], (Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011. Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration. The Social Security Administration Death Master File contains information on millions of deceased individuals with United States social security numbers whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. Birth years for the individuals listed range from 1875 to last year. Information in these records includes name, birth date, death date, and last known residence.).