Barbara Jean Payne

Barbara Jean Payne, 75, of the town of Parrish, passed away on Friday, May 1, 2026, at the Aspirus Wausau Hospital.

Barb was born in Rhinelander on December 7, 1950, to Gilbert A. and Jean M (Petersen) Spafford. She was raised in Rhinelander and in 1969 graduated from Rhinelander High School. She worked on her family’s potato farm in the Town of Starks. Barb met her future husband at a wedding dance, and the couple was married at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Rhinelander on September 4, 1971. The couple lived in the Town of Starks until 1973, when they built their home in the Town of Parrish. Barb was employed as a secretary with the Oneida County Land Conservation. She was also a teacher’s aid with the Rhinelander School District.

Barb was baptized, confirmed, and had attended Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church.

She will be remembered for being a great seamstress, making many outfits for her daughter, Jessica. She enjoyed gardening, camping, and hunting trips to Knoxville, Iowa.

Surviving are her loving husband, Gary, daughter, Jessica Graper of the Town of Harrison, three grandchildren, Garrett Graper, Jadelynn Graper, and Harmony Graper-Giese, two sisters, Pamela (Steve) Horneck of Starks and Dawn Cote of Crandon, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sharon Clapper (Bill) Datson of Rhinelander, and many nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Gilbert and Jean Spafford, her father-in-law and mother-in-law, Earl and Joan Payne, and a cousin, Dennis Lawetzki.

The visitation for Barbara will take place on Saturday afternoon, May 16, at the Hildebrand Funeral Home from 4 p.m. until the 6 p.m. memorial service. Pastor Alex Lindsay will officiate.

The funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Hildebrand Funeral Home & Cremation Specialists, 24 E. Davenport Street, Rhinelander, Wisconsin, 54501, 715-365-4343. Everyone is invited to leave an online condolence at www.hildebrandrussfh.com.