Dominga Payne was born on March 17, 1929, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to the late Andreza (Ribeiro) and Candido Silva. She was the sixth of seven children. Her early years were spent enjoying time at the local library reading books with her brothers and sisters, and playing in the front yard under her mother's watchful eye. Dominga also enjoyed watching her mother cook the family meals and listening to her father tell stories.

Dominga graduated from New Bedford High School in 1947. She worked for a short time after graduating before meeting her soul mate, Samuel Benjamin Payne, Jr., an army soldier from Bronx, New York. They were united in holy matrimony, and through this union they were blessed with seven children, Patricia, Steven, Samuel III, Fredrick, Andreza, Anesta, and Tanya. Because her husband Sam was in the military, the family spent the next 20 years traveling the United States and overseas.

After settling down in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and children in 1974, Dominga worked in retail for Payless Drug Stores. While working with Payless, she was known for her exceptional professionalism, customer service, and kindness to customers. She was employed with Payless for over 20 years until her retirement in 1996.

Dominga enjoyed her life to the fullest. She loved to travel, attend Cape Verdean events and conferences, listen to her favorite music, spend time with family and friends, and relax at home. In 1997, she and a friend went to the Cape Verde Islands where her mother and father were born. Upon her arrival back to the United States, she was so happy and excited about the experience that she described it as "awesome." She spent her retirement years traveling back east to her hometown to visit her siblings, nephews and nieces, and to attend her class reunions. In 2012 she attended her sixty-fifth class reunion in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Dominga became a member of the Bay Area Chapter of the Cape Verdean West Association in 1980. During her years with the CVWA, she served on the executive board both as president and as secretary treasurer. She was a loyal member of the Cape Verdean West Association for many years until her passing.

Dominga departed this life on January 27, 2015, and was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Samuel Payne, her son Fredrick, her mother and father; sisters - Julia Fortes and Mary Ribeiro; brothers - Antone "Smoke" and Albert "Smokey" Silva, and granddaughter, Kristina Payne.

Dominga leaves to cherish her memory: her six children, Patricia, Steven, Samuel III, Andreza, Anesta, and Tanya; two sisters, Joanna Rebeiro and Louise Oliveira; her nieces and goddaughters, Janet Brito and Marsha Rebeiro; a niece in Antigua, Lynn Hendricks; nephew and godson, Jackie Riberio and godson, Arthur Perreira; 19 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren, sons and daughters-in-law, and many nieces and nephews. Her loving friends are countless, in particular, her close friend, Barbara Andrade, whom she considered a loving daughter.

Ovdje se upisuje njihova prica... pitanje je koliko naplacuju funeral houses ovu uslugu po korisniku?

Goodbye my beloved friend. Priscilla

You Did Me a Kindness
When my legs grew too weak to carry me,
And my tired eyes could no longer see,
When it pained me to struggle for each new breath,
When my heart beat weaker, and I drew closer to death,
You did me the kindness of letting me go.
You didn't make me hang on when I was suffering so.
I promise I don't think that you loved me any less,
And I love you all the more for your selflessness.
You freed my spirit from its body so wracked with pain,
And let me run the fields of Heaven, where I'm sure we'll meet again.

Richard was the youngest of 6 children (one girl and five boys) born to Harry and Ruth Nelson. He grew up in the small town of Forest City, Iowa and attended Waldorf and Luther colleges where he majored in biology and minored in religion and art.



After college, he was drafted into the Army and did his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He was assigned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. where he began his scientific career, focusing on the effects of radiation. He met his wife Nancy at a young people’s church group while he was still in the Army and she was a student nurse. They married in the summer of 1967 and enjoyed exploring our Nation’s Capital, as well as traveling with their pop-up camper. They bought their first home in Rockville, MD and had a daughter, Jennifer, in 1974.



Once his military obligations were fulfilled, he embarked on chromosome research at the National Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC on a March of Dimes grant. For the next ten years, he worked at National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland where he co-authored many scientific papers on potential carcinogens, the effects of certain chemicals on chromosomes (ie, Benzapyrene) and the potential therapeutic use of Methotrexate in the treatment of cancer. He also presented his work several times at the American Tissue Culture Association meetings.

The appeal of the Midwest drew Richard and Nancy to Minnesota, where their son Matthew was born in 1978. Dick continued to pursue his research at the University of Minnesota. He authored many papers and presented at the Mutation Research National Meetings on topics including chemical, environmental, and pesticide hazards. His free time was spent as a renaissance man: nurturing a B/W photography hobby, making pizzas and soups from scratch, gardening, and working on DIY home projects. He also liked to spend time boating, fishing and riding his bike at the family lake cabin in northwest Wisconsin - one blustery winter, he even attempted ice fishing! 


Having endured many long and cold Minnesota winters, he jumped at the chance to retire to Florida in 2010, and quickly adapted to the warm and sunny climate. There he rekindled his early love of art and took up painting vivid watercolors - many featuring his favorite subject, lighthouses. Most afternoons you could find him in his “artist’s studio” listening to big band or jazz music and searching Google images for artistic inspiration. Some of his favorite Florida travels were to the Ringling and Dali art museums, and two memorable trips to St. Augustine – where he once climbed all 216 steps to the top of the lighthouse! He also enjoyed taking walks along the ocean, often collecting seashells along the way. 



Dick had a great sense of humor and especially liked telling the Scandinavian Sven, Ole and Lena jokes. He loved to sit down and chat with family and friends over a cup of coffee and a sweet pastry. Besides his love of family and art, he always had a lifelong curiosity for the study of nature and history. 



He was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in January 2013 and received treatment at the University of Florida in Gainesville as part of a clinical trial. He was in remission for the last seven months of 2014 before passing away peacefully at home on the evening of February 5th, 2015 surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife Nancy, daughter Jennifer (Matt Keating), son Matthew, and a granddaughter that is due in early March.



Although he will be deeply missed, he left us with many wonderful memories and amusing stories to share. His spirit will live on in our hearts and minds forever. We welcome you to pay tribute to Dick by sharing your favorite memories and/or photos of him.



In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in his honor to your favorite charity or:

Hospice of Citrus and the Nature Coast: hospiceofcitrus.org/

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: pancan.org/ 

Fisher House: fisherhouse.org/

Linda Marie (Schumacher) Meek, 68, of Redding, California, passed away suddenly on January 5, 2015, at Mercy Hospital in Redding.

If my Daddy could be described in a few words, some of those would be; Courageous. Giving. Loving. Gentle. Kind. He was a loving, hands on father. A loving and devoted husband. A loving and proud Grandfather