Obituary of Martin Payne

Martin Payne Martin Payne, 55, passed away March 31, 2011, in Olympia, Washington. He was born April 24, 1955, in Manitoba, Canada, to Robert Michael and Eleanor Bernyce Clark Payne. Martin graduated from California High School, Whittier, CA (1973), and University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA (1989). He married Bonnie L. Heath on November 24, 1984, in Olympia. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie; and their children Mason and Meghan; brothers, Michael (Kathy), Mark, and Murray (Gillian) Payne; father/mother-in-law, Jim and Dorothy Heath of Olympia; brothers-in-law, Jim (Marge), Randy (Marcia) and Dave (Vicki) Heath; nieces and nephews, Leah (Wes), Matt (Becky), Cody (Sara), Michael (Larina), Elliot, Casey, Jenny (Will), Mike, and many close friends. Martin was a good man. He worked hard and had a passion for the mission of the Department of Ecology. During his 20+ years at Ecology, he left a lasting legacy. Martin was an early advocate of GIS technologies and helped advance the use of this important technology in the agency. Martin developed the first information system in the agency, which coupled database technology with GIS mapping technology in the Sediment Quality Information System (SEDQUAL). SEDQUAL was a precursor and key stepping stone in the development of the current enterprise Environmental Information Management (EIM) and MyEIM systems. More recently, Martin pioneered a Document Storage and Retrieval System (DSARS) for the Toxics Cleanup Program which incorporated several new technologies to manage and store electronic documents in a database. Those who worked with Martin will miss his forthrightness and his humor. He was a wonderful colleague and friend. Martin definitely lived his life to the fullest. In his younger days, he travelled throughout Australia for nearly a year. He later worked on a fishing boat in Alaska and then worked on a large fish processing ship called the Bering Trader where he met Bonnie. At one point in his life, he was a radio DJ known as the Insane Sam Payne. Martin had a passion for his family and enjoyed sharing his life and home with many. He loved Bonnie and the kids deeply. His joy was in them. He loved to fish and work on projects with his son Mason as well as involve his daughter Meghan with his beekeeping. For Meghan’s 18th birthday this past February, Martin took Meghan to San Francisco to see a show at the Fillmore. Music was a major part of Martin’s life, it was how he expressed himself, so sharing that with Meghan was something that both of them hold close to their heart. He attended hundreds of live concerts in his lifetime. To say he was a Garcia/Grateful Dead fan would be an understatement. Martin also loved animals, especially his family dogs Tasmania, Katie, Lilly and Betsy. Martin lived for projects around the house and was never without a list of things to be accomplished. He could build or fix anything. He truly appreciated his home on the bay and was an avid boater who loved crabbing and fishing. He enjoyed hosting friends and family to share his harvest from the sea! Fourth of July was an event to be remembered at the Payne’s. Martin and his family created the first and only Great American Challenge. Pyrotechnics were involved. Over a series of years, Martin and Bonnie hosted three exchange students from Japan. Martin loved to teach young people how to work, especially his own children. He instilled a great work ethic in both Mason and Meghan, as well as most of their friends. To leave memories of Martin or condolences for the family, please click on "View Guestbook" below.