Raymond Edward Payne, 63,�passed away peacefully�December 30, 2017 in his home surrounded by family, after a long hard-fought battle with cancer.�He never gave up and fought to the end. Ray was born July 6, 1954 in Dayton, Ohio to the late James and Betty Payne. Ray was employed by the North Carolina Department of Labor as a Boiler Safety Supervisor. He was a follower of Christ and a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church. Ray and his wife, Vicki had an undescribable love for each other for 36 years.�Ray and Vicki loved to vacation annually with their good friends. Ray was a master of the tool bench; always working on projects in the garage and around the house. He was also an amazing cook. He loved nothing more than preparing a big batch of biscuits and gravy for his family and friends, all while entertaining them with his wonderful wit and antics. Ray�could carry on an expert conversation with anyone, about any topic. He was also an avid college football fan, O-H... ! A service to celebrate Ray's life will be held 2:00 PM, Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Monroe. Rev. Jack Hildreth will be officiating. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1:00 PM until 1:45 PM. Ray is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Vicki Payne;�son, Roger Jaynes (Jennifer) of Dayton, OH;�daughters, Mindi Jaynes of Monroe, NC, Shannon Flittner (Doug) of Lebanon, OH, Christy Ellis of Lebanon, OH, Robyn Burns (James) of York, SC; brothers, Robert Payne (June) of Germantown, OH, John Payne (Sandy) of West Carrollton, OH, Jeff Payne (Becky) of Dayton, OH, Tim Payne (Jeanette) of Miamisburg, OH; sister, Janet Payne (Larry)�of Miamisburg, OH; grandchildren, Jordan, Ashley, Austin, Alex, Emily, Sam, Tyler, Ben, Dylan, Hannah, Allie, Jonny, and Elliott. Per Ray's request, please make monetary donations to Emmanuel Baptist Church, 3816 Morgan Mill Rd. Monroe, NC�28110, in lieu of flowers. Holland Funeral Service & Crematory has the privilege to care for the Payne family. Online condolences may be made at www.hollandfuneralservice.com