Winnette "Winnie" Reck Payne

Obituary Winnette Reck Payne of Fort Collins passed away peacefully at home September 12, 2018. She was 95. Born July 15, 1923 on a homestead south of Fort Morgan, Colorado to Walter Reck and Emma Palenshus Reck, she was a Colorado resident her entire life. Winnette attended Colorado Teacher's College in Greeley after graduating from Fort Morgan High School. and left school to work in the WWII war effort packing parachutes at Peterson Field in Colorado Springs. There she met her future husband, Meredith Payne, in the mess hall food line. They were married May 12, 1946 in Adena, Colorado. After moving to Indiana for six months, they returned to Glenwood Springs, Colorado to help Winnette's parents run a hotel they had purchased. When the hotel was sold, they moved to Timnath, Colorado and Meredith enrolled in the pre-vet program at CSU. They moved to Fort Collins in the early 50's, and remained there. Winnette enrolled at CSU to finish her degree in English education and graduated in 1965 with her Bachelor of Arts degree. She completed a master's degree in reading education in 1970. Teaching was her passion, and she enjoyed many years in the classroom at Lesher Junior High and Fort Collins High as a reading and spelling teacher. She spent several years as the Reading and Language Arts Coordinator for Poudre School District which was a job she thoroughly enjoyed. Winnette wrote many letters to the local newspaper editor singing the praises of early phonics education for children. She never wavered in her passion for teaching children to read and write. After retiring from education, she owned Reading Spelling Systems, a company that continued her passion for such. Winnette loved many things, most of all her family. Sunday family dinners were a constant, and everyone who was in town attended. She was an amazing cook, and enjoyed hosting large family reunions in various locations. She was the consummate organizer. Alley picnics, get togethers with friends, hoedowns, church functions, playing the piano and organ, the symphony, theatre and opera, gardening, shopping, canning, writing and travel were all things she enjoyed doing. She had beautiful penmanship and loved making signs for any occasion. One of Winnette's greatest joys during her retirement years was being the Queen of Les Rouge Chapeau, an affiliated chapter of the Red Hat Society. She organized monthly luncheons at various locations, and absolutely loved the activities and members in her group. Red and purple became her signature colors, and her closets were full of red hats and purple outfits. There was never a dull moment when it came to the Red Hat Society! Winnette is survived by son Jon (Debbie) Payne of Erie, Colorado, daughter Margaret "Maggie" Payne of Fort Collins, Colorado, granddaughter Victoria "Vickey" (Chris) Moler of Longmont, Colorado, grandson Jacob Reingardt (Jackie) of Denver, Colorado, grandson Ty Tarlip of Fort Collins, Colorado, great grandsons August and Jackson Moler, and Henry and Charles Reingardt. She was preceded in death by her husband Meredith Payne and daughter Susan Payne. A memorial service will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 2000 Stover St, Ft. Collins, CO on October 19, 2018 at 10 am. Burial of cremains and a luncheon will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be directed to an education scholarship in Winnette's memory at Colorado State University. Please make checks payable to and mail to: CSU Foundation, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Collins, CO 80522. Memo line should reference Winnette Payne Memorial Scholarship. SERVICES Memorial Service Friday, October 19, 2018 10:00 AM St. Luke's Episcopal Church 2000 S. Stover Street Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 Read More Services You can still show your support by sending flowers directly to the family, or by planting a memorial tree in the memory of Winnette "Winnie" Reck Payne