Martha Ann Sharkey Payne was born on September 30th, 1950, in Independence, Louisiana. She was one of five siblings; being in the middle (Connie, Faye, John, & Melissa). She met her husband and soulmate at a friend's house in Amite, LA in 1967 and went off to be wed on July 28th, 1969. They lived in Kenner, LA before finally settling in Amite, LA on a piece of land that they liked to refer to as "Fort Payne". They went on to have three beautiful daughters; Dawn Marshell Payne (deceased), Elizabeth Faith Payne Luna, and Leah Beth Payne. In addition to being a wonderful wife and mother, she received her Bachelor's degree in Nursing, allowing her to work at different hospitals in different positions as a Registered Nurse before settling down at Hood Memorial Hospital in Amite, LA where she eventually retired. She loved cooking, dining out, traveling, and of course, shopping. But, what she loved most in this world was her family. Throughout her life she would make countless sacrifices, putting her family's needs above her own; her love knew no bounds. Martha will be remembered as a selfless, loving wife, mother, sister and grandmother. She had a quiet strength, shown through her ability to never complain, and always look ahead to a brighter tomorrow. Her strength of character was only enhanced when she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in June, 2023, and continued on until her passing on February 8th, 2025. She had every right to be mad and depressed, but instead she chose to remain strong and positive for all to see. She loved hard and lived for every moment she was given. Neither hard times nor cancer could rob her of who she was and with love and grace in her heart she is in God's hands now. She is survived by her husband, Marshall Payne, two daughters, Faith Luna (Marty) & Leah Payne, five grandkids, Emily Kleinpeter (Hunter), Brennan Davis, Rylie Clement (Andrew), Jake Davis, and Asher Tabor, and one beautiful great granddaughter, Kennedy Kleinpeter. Visitation at McKneely Funeral Home, Amite, from 6:00PM until 9:00PM on Tuesday and from 9:00AM until religious services at 11:00AM on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Services conducted by Chaplain Chris Thomas. Interment Killian Chapel Cemetery, Amite, LA. For an online guestbook, visit http://www.mckneelys.com.

"They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies." - William Penn