Henry Edmondson Payne III, 73

Henry Edmondson Payne III, 73, of Charleston, WV, passed away at home June 27, 2008, after an extended illness.

A lifelong resident of Charleston, Payne and his wife Constance also had a home at John's Island for more than a quarter century.

Payne was founder and president of Payne Engineering Company, which began in Princeton, NJ in 1959, a high tech manufacturing company of solid-state power controls. The company is noted for its innovation in bridge-deck heating, Superman Escape, and controls on NASA's Space shuttle launch pad since the days of the moon's exploration.

Payne also co-founded The State Journal newspaper in West Virginia. With extensive knowledge on many subjects, he authored "Tomorrow's World" for years for the Charleston Newspapers and contributed to many other publications.

He was an owner of SVRA (Sports Vintage Racing Association), in which he participated as an avid and talented racecar driver and racing enthusiast. He was a lifelong member of SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) and PCA (Porsche Club of America).

He is survived by Constance W. Payne, his wife of 47 years, son, Henry Edmondson Payne IV and wife, Talbot, of Bloomfield Hills, MI; daughter, Priscilla Carver Payne of Charleston; grandchildren, Henry Edmondson Payne V, Samuel Leland Payne, Constance Carver Gerstle and Paul Michael Gerstle;brothers: Robert Carver Payne, and wife, Helen, of Hilton Head, SC, Stephen Couch Payne, and wife Betty Lee, of Louisville, KY, and Christopher Randall Payne of Charleston.

Family members wish to extend special thanks to his brother, Christopher Randall Payne,who donated his stem cells for a successful bone marrow transplant.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 16 Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston, WV 25301, Woodberry Forest School, Woodberry Forest, VA 22989, Duke University Bone Marrow Research Center, 2400 Pratt Street, Durham, NC 27705 or Hospice Care, 1143 Dunbar Avenue, Dunbar, WV 25064.

Arrangements for a memorial service are being planned for a later date.