July 28, 1969 – September 23, 2022
Mark D. Payne, 53, of Newport Beach, passed away unexpectedly on September 23, 2022. He was born in San Gabriel before moving to San Marino in 1983.
He attended Washington Elementary and Jefferson Middle School in San Gabriel, and Huntington Middle School and San Marino High in San Marino, where he graduated in 1987. Mark was on the San Marino High Titan water polo and golf teams, and, through the Regional Occupational Program at San Marino High, worked as a janitor at the South Pasadena – San Marino Y, and in the kitchen of Twoheys restaurant.
Through involvement of San Marino Troop 358 with the Boy Scouts of America, Mark earned the Eagle Scout Award, and was nominated by his peers to join the Order of the Arrow … the national honor society of BSA. Former president Gerald Ford presented Mark (and six others) with his Eagle Award. Highlights of scouting included summers spent at Camp Cherry Valley on Catalina Island and 10 days of backpacking at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.
And he talked his parents into allowing him to have a motorcycle which likely hastened his folks giving him the family car, an Audi Fox wagon.
As an undergrad at the University of Southern California, Mark affiliated with Phi Delta Theta (a social fraternity) graduating in 1991 with a B.S. in business administration, with an emphasis in real property development. Summer jobs were as a data-banker for Coldwell Banker, laborer for Oltmans Construction, and intern for Ashwill-Hawkins Development.
Moving to San Francisco, he worked for AMEX Long Term Care, Bristol Group, Spieker Properties and Buzzsaw. Mark joined the community service and social men’s organization, The Bachelors, and volunteered with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization, where he became a big brother to youngster Moises Estrada … which their relationship continued long after the program ended.
Also, while living in San Francisco, Mark met the love of his life, Charlotte Leata Panattoni, and they were wed in Carmel by the Sea on April 26, 2003.
In 2004, while employed by Panattoni Development, Charlotte and Mark moved to Denver, Colorado, and London, UK, where Mark opened the European office which developed industrial properties in France, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. Returning to the United States in 2009, Mark developed warehouse and land lease opportunities with Panattoni and then his own firm, M Payne Investments, an industrial real estate development firm, in Irwindale, City of Industry, Carson, Inglewood and Los Angeles.
Hard working and living life to the fullest, he became part owner of “Evening Star,” a 65 foot boat moored in Newport Harbor, and eventually joined the Newport Harbor Yacht Club. He enjoyed taking his family and friends on boating trips to Catalina Island and into Mexico to fish and relax.
Mark is survived by his wife, Charlotte, and teenagers Nolan and Allegra. And, also, by his parents Mary and Bill Payne of San Marino, brother Matt D. Payne (wife Relissa and teenagers Livia and Vivienne) of San Francisco, and family in-laws, Jane and Carl Panattoni of Palm Beach, Florida.
On Thursday, October 13, in Newport Beach, boats took friends out to sea to spread his ashes. A Celebration of Life followed at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.
In lieu of flowers, those so inclined are reminded of organizations dear to Mark, which include the Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and the Breast Cancer Awareness and Research.
