Ken retired from H.J. Jones Printing and Lithographing in 2004 after 42 years. However, through Ski-View and the magazine, he maintained strong business and personal ties to the community. His widow, Sandy says, “Ken had a lot of loyal readers and advertisers, many of whom became close friends.” Meanwhile, Ken’s interest in sports continued and as his children grew, they began to play as well. He coached hockey, and many of his offspring were involved with Byron baseball and Byron soccer. He was also a volunteer coach of Junior Horseshoe in Aylmer for many years. “He never enjoyed sitting still,” says Sandy. “If it needed doing, Ken would do it.” Ken was one of the founding organizers of the Byron Optimist Sports Complex and he along with several others were on the building committee back in 1977. It was this group’s vision to create a space where children and adults alike could engage in sports and community activities. “Ken was a dedicated optimist with a capital O,” says Byron Optimists President Chris Stumph. “He was always willing to help out whenever there was a need.”
Ken Payne Legacy “Your legacy is every life you have touched.”— Maya Angelou When he passed away in Nov- ember of 2024, lifelong Byron resident Ken Payne left a legacy that touched thousands of lives. Through his love of sports and his dedication to connecting the community, in business and in family life, Ken Payne will be forever remembered in Byron. Ken was first and foremost about
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family. He met his future wife Sandy when they worked together to register players for Byron Baseball in 1984. Ken lived on Griffith and Sandy was nearby on Fairlane. Their paths crossed again in the mid 1990s when Sandy needed a designer for a project to support the Sunshine Foundation. Ken happily volunteered. They married in 1998 and made their home on Commissioners Rd. in Byron. Over nearly three decades of marriage, Ken and Sandy enjoyed between them five kids and 17 grandchildren. The grandkids called him Grandpa Graycee. His oldest grandchild, Brittany, gave him the nickname after his Miniature Schnauzer of the same name. Grandpa Graycee was an always-willing taste- tester for any baking by the family. Ken worked as a plate maker at H.J. Jones Printing and Lithographing and simultaneously started his own business. He created Ski-View Promotions and realized his vision of connecting the community with a magazine. The Byron Connection published its first issue in October 1982. Ski-View Promotions was mostly a one-man company. Ken did everything from sales to design and enlisted his children and other neighbourhood kids to deliver the free magazine to homes in Byron. The magazine’s popularity required a name change and a bigger delivery area. He retitled it The Forest City Connection and took it to the east as far as Wharncliffe Rd. and north up to Hwy 22. The magazine folded in August of 2018. “Thirty-five years, 11 months, and 431 consecutive issues,” wrote Ken in that last edition. Ski-View Productions carried on, though, with design and print services. London Animal Care Centre – Licensing, Bylaw Enforcement, Adoption and Lost/Found Services: 121 Pine Valley Blvd., (519) 685-1330 The Catty Shack: 756 Windermere Rd., (519) 432-4572 C atty S haCk THE Your Perfect Match awaits you at The London Animal Care Centre and The Catty Shack! Bringing people and pets together www.accpets.ca
Over the years, the complex has grown along with the community. It became evident that improvements were needed to keep the complex safe and working well for youth sports. Ken was critical in the negotiations with L82 Construction Inc. to provide the park with irrigation, drainage and other infrastructure work in exchange for naming rights and advertising. “Ken was always looking to improve things and he was always on the go,” says Sandy.
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Byron Villager
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