Walter Payne, who worked in the press room at DC Thomson’s Kingsway East printing plant, has died aged 91.
He joined the firm in March 1970 and retired in April 1996 aged 65.
Walter, (Wattie) was born in Dundee in April 1931 to Robert Craig Payne, a jute mill overseer in the city, and his wife Helen Smith, a homemaker.
He was one of eight children and grew up with an eldest sibling, Helen, and six brothers. He was the last surviving member of his family.
Military service
His formative years were spent around Wellgate where he was educated. Walter left school at 15 and was called up for army service, undertaking his training at Aldershot at the end of the Second World War.
When he returned to Dundee and to civilian life he began work as a shoe repairer in Birrell’s in Overgate, Dundee.
While working there he met his future wife, Margaret, who was employed in the Saxone shoe shop.
Family life
The couple married married at Dundee registrar’s office on December 26 1960 and spent 58 years of marriage together.
Walter and Margaret went on to have one daughter, Nicola, and a grandson, Lee.
Married life began with a home in the now-gone King’s Road, off Victoria Road, before a move to Stirling Terrace and, latterly to nearby Law Road towards the end of the 1990s.
His daughter, Nicola, said he loved working in the pressroom at DC Thomson and relished the companionship of colleagues.
Leisure time
In retirement, Walter and Margaret devoted a lot of time to travelling.
They enjoyed holidays to Turkey, Spain, Malta and Florida and went on a Caribbean cruise.
Nicola said: “My dad enjoyed watching the horse racing, snooker, darts and the football on television but most of all spending time with his family on outings, car drives and eating out.
“He was a wonderful dad to me, a living husband to Margaret and a doting grandad to Lee.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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