Katharine Payne

Katharine Payne died peacefully in her sleep June 4th. She was 104. She was born on October 22nd, on Wye Island to Walter Lee Whitby and Sallie Mae Jones Whitby and grew up on the Little Place and Drum Point Farms. She attended the one room Wye Island elementary school, graduated from Centreville High School in 1939 and the McQueen School of Nursing in 1942. She joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1943 and served in the 111th Evacuation Hospital, a 200-bed mobile surgical unit that served 10,000 soldiers in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. While on tour she met her husband Captain Thomas Payne (also 111th) of Chicago, IL. They were married in 1946. She worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital before moving to Easton in 1949. After raising a family, she returned to work in nursing and helping in the family business at Trader's Pharmacy. She was also active in the Ladies of the Elks, and St. Peter and Paul School. She was an avid Oriole fan to the end. She is survived by her three sons, Michael of Easton, Marty (Linette) of St. Michaels and David (Chrissie) of Preston. She is also survived by granddaughters Rev. Kelsey Spiker (Matt), Kristen Payne (Steve), and Megan Lataille (Alex). Also, great grandchildren, Katie Roe, Ava Allendorf, Oliver and Franklin Lataille, Bryce and Brynn Spiker. In addition, she is survived by niece, Jane Kunze of Easton, and other nieces and nephews. She is also survived by sisters, Eva Shockley and Betty Kackley, and sister-in-law, Imelda Whitby of Queen Anne. She was proceeded in death by her husband, Thomas, daughter-in-law Barbara Jones Payne, sisters Hilda Kunze, Edith Whitby and Irene Whitby, and brothers Elmer and Paul Whitby. The family will receive guests and friends on Friday, June 12, 2026, at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 1210 S. Washington St. from 10 until 11am. A mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11am. Interment with military honors will take place at Woodlawn Memorial Park, Easton. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name can be made at the Women's War Memorial of Arlington, VA, Talbot Hospice Foundation, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, Easton Volunteer Fire Department, 315 Leonard Reick Drive, Easton, MD or the Dixon House, 108 N. Higgins Street, Easton, MD.

Katharine Payne

October 22, 1921 - June 4, 2026