Billie Jo Payne, 82, widow of Loyd “Tip” Payne, died Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at her residence. A gathering to remember Billie Jo was held Friday, November 27, 2009, at her home in Greeleyville. Mrs. Payne was born March 4, 1927, in Tennessee, a daughter of the late Zachary Taylor Wheeler and Mary Ann Wilson Wheeler. She retired from the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek in 1984, after 30 years of service. She was the first woman at the Weapons Station to reach GS-9 level and later to GS-12 level. She was the only woman at that time to receive the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award. Additionally, she has several outstanding performance awards, letters of appreciation, and a Navy Unit Commendation to her credit. She attended Kingstree United Methodist Church and was a member of the Green Thumb Garden Club. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Carolyn Ann Scarboro Barr. Survivors are: one daughter, Jane Michaele Duke (Mack) of Greeleyville; one sister, Dorothea Wheeler Dease of Myrtle Beach; and two granddaughters. Memorials may be made to Tidelands Community Hospice, 2591 Fraser St., Georgetown, SC 29440 or Kingstree United Methodist Church, 510 N. Longstreet St., Kingstree, SC 29556.