Shelter Island Reporter Obituaries: Payne, King
Edward O. Payne III, 77, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 7, 2017, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Hospice.
Ed was born July 15, 1940 and was raised on Shelter Island and in Greenport. He honorably served six years in the United States Navy aboard the USS Boston and at Guantanamo Bay. Ed received the U.S. Navy Good Conduct Medal in 1961.
His career spanned 25 years with the IBM Corporation in Westchester County. Ed was also a part-time deputy sheriff in the Putnam County (N.Y.) Sheriff’s Department. In 1993, Ed and his family relocated to Jupiter, Florida where he was the executive administrator to the chief operations officer of the Professional Golfers Association of America for 10 years. In 2015, they relocated to the Cumming-Gainesville area in northeast Georgia.
Ed was an active member of the Sons of the American Revolution and served as president of the Westchester Chapter and vice president of the New York State Chapter. He took great pride in his country’s heritage. Ed also served in the Fraternal Order of Police for many years.
Ed is survived by his wife Mary; daughter Carrie; son-in-law, Steve; and his three grandchildren, Alexis, Connor and Abigail.
Ed, known as “PeePaw” to his grandchildren, took great pride and was very active in all of their activities. He was loved, his family said, and will be deeply missed by his family and friends.
Funeral services took place on Saturday, May 5 at 11 a.m. at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church, officiated by the Reverend Stephen M. Fearing. Interment with U.S. Navy honors followed in the Payne family plot at the Shelter Island Cemetery behind the church.
Lauretta McDermott King
Lauretta McDermott King, the daughter of William and Anna (Burns) McDermott, passed away peacefully in her home on April 28, 2018.
She was born in the family’s home on Route 114 and graduated from Shelter Island High School. Lauretta was married for 75 years to Vincent E. King, who passed away on August 28, 2015.
During their marriage, they lived in many states, from New York to California. Lauretta and Vincent also spent many years traveling the world studying genealogy and learning the history and culture of the countries they visited.
Lauretta worked in factories during World War II and for many years was the chef extraordinaire at the Gardiner’s Bay Country Club. She also greatly enjoyed working in acquisitions for the Shelter Island Historical Society and at one time, she and Vincent were honored as Volunteers of the Year. Lauretta’s commitment to the Island community also included serving as parishioner at Our Lady of the Isle Roman Catholic Church.
She was self taught in many crafts and hobbies, including chair carving, wood graining, sewing, knitting, baking wedding cakes, pies and cookies, among many other skills. Her talents were passed on to her children and grandchildren through many hours of quality time spent with Lauretta. Lauretta’s greatest joy in life, her family said, was spending time with them, and they have many memories to keep her close, they said, until they join her.
She leaves her son Wayne King (Donna), her daughters Patricia Labrozzi and Diane Anderson (Will). Also left to mourn are her grandchildren, great grandchildren and their families.
Lauretta was predeceased by her husband Vincent, her sisters Margaret and Katherine and her grandson David Labrozzi.
Expressions of sympathy can be made in the form of donations to the Shelter Island Ambulance Foundation or Eastern Long Island Hospital.
