A funeral service will be held for Betty Payne on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 11:00 CDT at Crestwood Memorial Funeral Home, 2209 E Broad St. Gadsden, Alabama 35903. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.

Betty Jean Hicks Payne, 87, long-time resident of Gadsden, Alabama, died peacefully July 16, 2025, in Covington, Georgia. Betty was born in Jellico, Tennessee, studied at Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky, and moved to Gadsden, where she worked for several years as a dental assistant and as a preschool teacher. She married William Davis Payne in 1961, and she was a member of East Gadsden Baptist Church.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, her parents Irl Fielding and Elizabeth Hicks; sisters Grace Hicks, Midge Leach, Margaret Lovitt; brothers Ray C. Hicks and Dwight Hicks. She is survived by her daughter, Amy Payne Watkins (John), granddaughter Kelly Watkins; great grandchildren, Jaden Moncrief, Kanen Moncrief and Kensington Perry; brother Jerry Hicks (Sharon); nieces Lynn Kelly (Mark) and Dana Plitnik (Brian); nephews Ted Leach (Cathey) and Ray F. Hicks (Carol).

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to East Gadsden Baptist Church, 211 6th St. N, Gadsden, AL 35903. Special thanks to The Haven at Regency Pointe, Prema at Ashton Hills, and Southern Grace Hospice.