SHREVEPORT — Dr. D. Keith Payne, loving husband, devoted father and grandfather, Professor of Medicine, avid reader, and intrepid traveler died peacefully on January 9, 2023 in Shreveport, Louisiana at age 70. Having been “blessed to live a great life,” the assurance that he would meet God emboldened his courage. Keith waged a years-long campaign against an incurable prostate cancer with the confidence that the therapies he received had reached the edges of known science. When friends and family commended his resolute bravery as he battled the disease, he would quote, “It’s not bravery when you don’t have a choice.” During his war on cancer Dr. Payne synergized active living, a Methodo-Baptist-forged faith, time with loved ones, and science-based cancer-controlling strategies to live the best life he possibly could.
Donald Keith Payne was born June 26, 1952 in Oklahoma City, OK to Dr. Donald E. Payne and Patsy Ruth Lowry. Upon completing training in Pediatrics, the Paynes moved to Tyler, Texas where they raised their three sons and were a founding family of Green Acres Baptist Church. Keith and his younger brothers spent their summers in Rush Springs, OK with both sets of loving grandparents. The Payne Brothers had endless enthusiasm for exploring the prairie, fishing, hunting quail, and playing baseball. Summer jobs included shelving stock at the Payne Grocery Store and loading watermelons for shipping grown on the Lazy L Ranch.
After graduating from Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Keith moved to Virginia to attend Washington and Lee University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He returned to Texas for medical training and received his MD from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. As had been his practice in attending previous universities, Dr. Payne arrived in Shreveport in the Summer of 1978 to begin an Internal Medicine Internship and Residency at Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Medicine “sight unseen.” He had no inkling at the time that he would endeavor to serve God and man on that campus for the next 37 years.
While furthering his training at LSU, Dr. Payne grew fond of Louisiana, its people, and its diverse cultural heritage. He became especially fond of a young woman he called Cynthia (though everyone else knew her as Cyndi) from nearby Red River Parish. So, whether she was the reason he decided to remain in Shreveport and pursue a Fellowship in Pulmonary Diseases or not, remains conjectural to this day. Dr. Keith Payne and Dr. Cynthia Black married November 20, 1982 at First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Shreveport where they attended thereafter and served in Adult Education, in local and global missions, and on various councils and committees of the church.
Dr. Payne wore many hats during his tenure at LSU School of Medicine, but his heart gravitated toward teaching. He was indebted to have had numerous great teachers and mentors throughout his life, and extended their passion through his own teaching of students, interns, residents, fellows, and patients often discovering that he learned more from each of them. Dr. Payne was honored to receive the Allen A. Copping Award for Teaching Excellence in the Clinical Sciences in 1999 and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society in 2005. He became Chief of the Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center in 2004 and was appointed Bryn Professor of Medicine the following year. Dr. Payne served in these roles until his retirement in 2015.
When not practicing Medicine, Keith loved to be in nature and was a life-long learner with an extensive library. He studied astronomy, followed the weather with his own weather station, enjoyed birding, and shared his outdoor spirit with his children and grandchildren. Ever striving to be a fair-minded man, Keith believed it was important to understand the various sides of any issue and worked to build his opinions based on facts. He was a runner, cyclist, and swimmer and participated in many local triathlons. Camping across the nation became a family tradition. Having read “Undaunted Courage,” to mark his 50th year, Keith, Cyndi, and their children camped along much of the Lewis and Clark Trail from Missouri to Idaho. Keith and Cyndi “loaded their lives forward” and traveled as often and as far as possible. They were humbled and awed to participate in study tours of many of the lands of the Bible and accompanied their church mission teams to Haiti, Australia, and New Zealand.
Keith is survived by his wife Cynthia, son John Lowry, at Boeing Seattle, daughter Ann Claire Green and husband Cody of Shreveport, and grandchildren Ira, Coralie, and Afton Keith. He is also survived by his brothers and their families: Dr. R. Mark Payne and wife Helen of Indianapolis, IN and Captain J. Alan Payne and wife Toni of Franktown, CO.
The family extends sincere gratitude to Dr. Oliver Sartor of Mayo Clinic, Dr. Robert Massingill of Christus Cancer Center, Dr. Sanford Katz of Willis Knighton Radiation Oncology, the staff at LifeShare Blood Center, and to all of the incredibly skilled, kind nurses of Christus and Willis-Knighton Chemotherapy Units, and Grace Home for their care of Dr. Payne.
A Memorial Service for Dr. Keith Payne will be officiated by Rev. Dr. Ashley Goad at three p.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2023 in the Sanctuary of FUMC Shreveport. Immediately following there will be a Committal Ceremony and Inurnment in the adjacent Memorial Garden, and Afternoon Tea in Couch Chapel Parlor. In lieu of flowers, Memorial Gifts or Tributes may be sent to FUMC Shreveport at 500 Common St., Shreveport, LA 71101-3430 (firstshreveport.com) or to Mayo Clinic (philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC) select Other, then type Prostate Cancer in second option box.
