Rachel Elizabeth Payne

Payne, Rachel E. Rachel Elizabeth Payne, 18, of West Hartford died suddenly on Sunday, September 12. Born December 3, 1985, she had lived in West Hartford all of her life. She was a 2004 graduate of William H. Hall High School and had recently begun her freshman year at the University of Delaware where she was pursuing her passion for art. Rachel is survived by her parents, Nancy Matson Payne, of West Hartford; her father, William T. Payne, Jr. of West Hartford, and her older brother Andrew William Payne, also of West Hartford. Rachel leaves behind her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. William E. Matson of Hampstead, NC, her grandmother Mrs. William T. Payne of Thompson, CT, her uncle Steven Stang and his wife, Macil of Simsbury, her aunt Florence Payne of Thompson, and her uncle Russell Matson and his wife June of Eliot, ME. Rachel had five first cousins: Christina, Melissa and Thomas Stang, all of Simsbury; Charlotte Matson of San Diego, CA and Meggan Matson-Drew; her husband Bryan and daughters, Morgan and Taylor all of Walpole, MA. Her aunt, Norma P. Stang and her uncle, Wayne "Todd" Matson, predeceased Rachel. Rachel was a beautiful, loving and talented young lady. She was sensitive, perceptive and had tremendous love of all animals. In the past several years she had won numerous awards for her outstanding artistic ability including the Connecticut Scholastic Art Award for drawing, the Hall High School Art Teachers? Evangeline Ftergiotis Award and an Academic Achievement Award, as well as the Connecticut Art Education Association?s 2004 top honor for her exceptional art portfolio. Rachel was also the recipient of a Fine Arts Scholarship to the University of Connecticut. Rachel was truly happy to be attending the University of Delaware. She had quickly made friends and felt that she had found her niche. To say that Rachel will be sorely missed by a wealth of family and friends that loved her would be a vast understatement. Friends may call at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford on Wednesday, September 15 from 5 to 8 pm. The funeral will be held at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2080 Boulevard, West Hartford on Thursday, September 16, at 10:00am with burial immediately following the ceremony in the Simsbury Cemetery, Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts be made in Rachel?s memory to the University of Delaware?s Art Department, Visual Communications, and sent in care of the Office of University Relations, 109 Hullihen Hall, Newark, DE 19716.

Rachel Elizabeth Payne

December 3, 1985 - September 12, 2004