Roy David Payne was born in Waco, Texas on May 23, 1946 to Otis Kendrick Payne, Jr. and Regina Pawlak Payne. He moved to Houston with his family in 60’s and graduated from Westbury High School. He attended the University of Houston to study architecture and was accepted into Rice University Architecture School. In 1968, as the draft neared, he joined the US Air Force and served as the Crew Chief of a C-130. He was honorably discharged in 1970 – the same year he married Judy Blair. They had two children, Keri and Jon. He later married Connie Jones in 1978 and he gained two more children, Brett and Terri Ann. They remained married until her death in 2001. In 2006 he married Mary Kay Oglesby and remained by her side until his death on February 17, 2022.
Upon returning from his service in the Air Force, Roy was employed as a draftsman creating a variety of complicated designs from salt mine safety equipment to petrochem plants. In 1972 he began working for Waller S. Poage-Architect, as a draftsman. With the oil boom, the demand for commercial buildings increased, as did the need for developers to have presentation models of these buildings. Roy quickly became interested in this and approached his boss to allow him to construct one of these models, with the understanding that I they didn’t like his model, they wouldn’t have to pay for it… They liked it… and appreciating the quality of his work, they hired him to do more.
From 1974 to 1980 Roy, founded Roy D. Payne and Associates, which later became OmniGroup, Inc., of which he was president and CEO. In 1981 Roy, split from OmniGroup and formed Roy D. Payne – Model Makers, focusing on presentation architectural models and design of marketing centers for real estate developers. He build models for buildings in many cities including The Chicago Tower, the Warner Building in Washington DC, buildings in Houston, Austin and even one in Saudie Arabia, for the Emir. When the oil market crashed, construction drew to a halt, as did his business, so in 1991 Roy formed RDM Mastercraft, a company focusing on custom design and fabrication of prototypical equipment for investors and companies such as Compac Computers and Pennzoil’s Technology Center.
In 2005 he moved to Midlothian and where he formed Cottonwood Creek Construction with his son, Jon. They built over 50 houses, as well as, duplexes, two banks and a Church.
But Roy’s true passion was for racing, and in the early 60’s, he began designing and building his own race cars. To accommodate this passion, he ran his model making business on a 4-day, 10-hour work week, and on Thursday evenings or Friday mornings he and Connie loaded up his race car and drove to the next race. He qualified and competed in the Chili Bowl in Oklahoma and in 1985 he was the Texas Outlaw Midget Racing Association Champion. Roy did this for close to 20 years and stayed in touch with his racing buddies until his death.
With his experience, Roy was also a consultant for companies, developing tires and double valve racing shocks; and pioneered innovations such as the inboard rear brake system, which became the standard for open wheel race cars. Roy also has 2 patents to his name.
Roy had a kind and gentle heart and was loved dearly by his family… And Roy loved them… He was always at a ball game or school event for his grandchildren. All of his family has something he built or designed at their homes or in their towns. He was the guy that everyone called to help figure something out. He knew everything about everything but you would never know unless you asked. There was never a doubt how much he loved his family or his sweet wife.
He was preceded in death by his parents Otis Kendrick and Regina Payne, his brother Claude Payne and his step-son Brett Jones.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Kay Payne; and his children Jill and husband, Bobby Zamen of Austin, Keri Payne of Midlothian and Jon and wife, Melanie Payne of Maypearl; and his step-children, Teri Ann King of Oklahoma, Dax Oglesby of Liberty Hill and Trent and wife, Amy Oglesby of Fulshear; his grandchildren, Jon Garcia, Wyatt and wife, Dylan Payne, Clay Payne, Kendra Payne, Emily Payne, Addison Payne, Morgan Zamen, and Jack Zamen; and step-grandchildren, Korey Surratt, Kortney Surratt, , Madeline Albasha, Mary Elizabeth Oglesby, Ashton Oglesby, Trennon Oglesby and Isabella Oglesby; and a step-great grandchildren Kashton Surratt and Theodora Albasha and another Great Grandchild on the way.