Obituary of Juanita Payne

Juanita June Payne, 89, a 14 year resident of the Olympia area, passed away peacefully at home on July 22, 2010. Juanita was born May 17, 1921 in Scott Bar, CA to Ernest and Amelia (Cable) Humphreys. From 1942 – 1945 She supported the War effort, by working as a “Rosie the Riveter” on the B-17/B-29 Aircraft, Boeing and Kenworth Motors. From 1945 – 1955: Juanita was an Office worker and supervisor for several companies including the Navy Inspection Office, General Insurance, Howard-Cooper Corp., and Pierce Bros. Mortuary. In 1955 she married Carroll Edwin Mercer in Seattle and in 1988 she was married to Herbert Payne in Phoenix, AZ. During her life, Juanita resided in several other cities including, Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, Los Angeles, CA, Sequim, Shelton and Quilcene, WA, and Glendale, AZ. Juanita was known for her devotion to God, dedication to family, and immense compassion for every furry creature, great and small. Known as “June” to her friends, she was strong in character and faith and always put the needs of her children ahead of her own. She was proud of her heritage and country and embodied the indomitable spirit of “The Greatest Generation”. She was interviewed for a Library of Congress documentary on “Rosie the Riveter” in 2007. The interview can be seen at the Library of Congress Veterans History Project Web site: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/loc.natlib.afc2001001.44359 She loved pets and animals of all kinds, oil painting, politics and current events, learning new things, health and holistic medicine, supported the VFW and other veterans groups, studying the Bible, and most of all- faith in God. Juanita is survived by her son Daniel E. L. Mercer, Olympia and her daughter Penny (Mercer) Longwell, Olympia; 6 grandchildren; and 4 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Jack Countryman; and siblings, Ernest Humphreys and Ethel Wells. Family suggests Memorial donations to: Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, UT 85751; or a local animal shelter. You may sign the guestbook and leave condolences by clicking on "View Guestbook" below.