Martin, beloved father, friend, and little brother was taken from us on July 8th, 2019 with much life yet to live. A kind and gentle man, he had a happy life and was dearly loved and cherished by his family and close friends. Marty was raised in Gordon Head with his three siblings by loving parents, Ross and Winifred Payne, and was proud of his family’s local pioneer heritage in Goldstream dating back to the 1880’s. Nicknamed ‘Smarty Marty’ for his goofy charm, he was a fun-loving kid whose joy for life, eternal optimism, and compassion for all people remained with him and never failed to bring happiness into our lives. He fondly recalled family stories of fishing and skiing trips with his grandad and cousins as a child, as well as many camping trips and outdoor activities with his parents and siblings. Marty had a great love and respect for his family, as well as a keen interest in the family history, acting as a guardian to the trove of old family photos. He loved photography, fulfilling the role of yearbook photographer while studying at Mount Doug High, and as a husband and father capturing nearly all the family photos as well as many cherished home videos.
Marty worked a number of years at the plywood mill in Victoria before switching to courier work, eventually landing his long-term employment with BC Mail Plus which he enjoyed, appreciating the many friendly personalities he came to meet on the job. After meeting his long-time sweetie, Catherine, he had the perfect adventure companion, going on trips together and raising two very loved daughters over the course of 32 years. A great lover of the peace and beauty of nature (as well as some good sun rays), Marty spent much of his time outdoors. As a young man, he became an adept windsurfer, as well as skiing and dirt-biking with friends and family, and his often talked of trip to Hawaii for surfing and sun. He loved tennis and badminton matches, referring to his father’s skill with the games and his ability to wear Marty out completely without moving anything but his right arm. As a father, Marty took on hiking, mountain biking, and hockey, playing with a local team for a number of years, improving from an average skater to a key offensive player in no time.
Family meant everything to Marty- his care and devotion to us was unconditional. There were countless family trips and outings- hiking around the Kludahk, biking in the local woods and fields, fishing for seaweed at McKenzie Bight, ski trips to Mount Washington, travel through Europe, the UK, Australia, and Hawaii- all made memorable by his happy light-hearted nature and his ability to turn our frowns upside-down. Marty was a truly good person, his thoughtfulness and ability to bring positivity and humour into the lives of all he encountered was a momentous gift for which he will be remembered. He could always make a goofy dance move or some strange impersonation, bring up an old inside joke or sing an incredibly high note to bring a smile to our lives. We will dearly miss you, Marty, you are our sunshine.
Predeceased by his dear parents Ross and Winifred Payne and his older brother Richard Payne. Left to continue his memory are his loving daughters Calla and Jessica, former wife and long-time friend Catherine, cherished life-long best friend Ian, dear sis Colleen and husband Rod, brother Brian and wife Wendy, and his many extended family members.
A Private Celebration of Life is being held.
Condolences and memories of Marty will be gratefully received below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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Mary-Ann De Loor (nee: Immink)
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Angelo Mazzuocco Rain or shine Marty always showed up for work with a positive attitude. He rarely missed a day and would many times voice how lucky he was to have such a great job and equally great life. His attitude and strong work ethic was infectious and certainly had an influence on how I would proceed with my regular duties. He was very grateful for what life had provided. It was great working with you Marty. You will be missed.
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Brian & Terry Alexander My husband Brian Alexander and I worked with Martin through out his career at BC Mail. Martin was wonderful to work with for all the reasons you mention above. When Brian retired 18 months ago Martin gave him a multi tool which Brian cherishes even more now. Our hearts hurt for Martins beautiful family who he was so proud of and talked of all the time. Thinking of you all, Brian and Terry Alexander.
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KERRY BLAIN Brian, Wendy and the entire family:
Thoughts and prayers with you all. So sorry to hear about this tragedy.
Kerry Blain
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Pat Blain I am so sorry for your family’s tragic loss, Martin sounded like a wonderful man. I pray your family gets the answers and closure you need to more forward and start the grieving process for Martin. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Upon graduation from Mount Doug in 1976, Marty & Corrine, along with Mike Bancroft and myself, made up a foursome for all the grad activities. Egads what a cazy fun week that was.
We had spent the 2 years prior to that just hanging out and having fun with everything we did. One of my favorite “Marty photos” that made it into the yearbook, was of him with his head shoved in sideways in a drill press with this crazy maniacal look in his eyes. He never failed to crack us up. I was so stunned to hear of his passing.
We hadn’t been in touch for a few decades, but knowing Marty, the intervening years would have just melted away and we would be joking, talking, sharing, and falling all over ourselves laughing again, just like in the old days. I will never stop thinking of you old friend. And when we do eventually meet again, (and we will), we’ll sure have a lot of interesting stuff to talk about and catch up on. Just wish I didn’t have to wait so long to see you again!