Bettye was born in Valdosta, Georgia to the union of Clifford Payne and Rossie M. Lockette. Her early childhood was spent in Valdosta and Albany Georgia. In Albany at the age of 13 she was baptized into Christ by Brother John Vaugner. Her teenage years were spent in Nashville Tennessee where she attended the Nashville Christian Institute (NCI). The family relocated to Mt Pleasant in the early 1950's when her father became the minister of the Sheppard Street Church of Christ. She graduated from Booker T. High School in Mt Pleasant. September 17, 1957, she married Florence Brannon Jr. of Mt Pleasant, Texas. This union thrived for 64 years and remained strong until her passing. She was preceded in death by her parents: Clifford and Rossie M. Payne; Two children: Rossie R. and Melford D. Brannon and Two siblings: Ralph Payne and Melanie Payne-Morant. She leaves to cherish her memory: her Husband, Florence Brannon; Children and Daughter-in-Laws: Thomas and Irma (Colorado), Stevie and Lisa (Longview), Erma (Mt Pleasant), Jasmine (Fort Worth); Four sisters, one brother and In-laws: Mary and Franklin Florence (Rochester, NY), Gloria and James Simmons (Miami FL), Patricia and Dan Thorpe (Atlanta, GA), Dwight and Waylon Payne (Mt Pleasant, TX), Dyanne and Gordon Bain (Miami, FL); Eight grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild; Special lifelong friends and cousins from Valdosta: Robbie Hester, Martha "Mott" Gamble and Hilda Tooley; One special bond with Godson Andrae Haley; and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, human and furry friends.