Local relative backs Obama
> Democratic presidential contender has family member in rancho sahuarita <
By Ernesto Portillo Jr.
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 05.08.2008
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As the Democratic presidential primary tapers to the end, Rancho Sahuarita resident Jon Payne can feel a growing tinge of anticipation. He supports Illinois Sen. Barack Obama all the way to the White House.
Payne generally agrees with Obama’s positions and philosophy. But Payne has a closer connection to the Democratic candidate.
Obama is Payne’s great-nephew.
The family relationship is not something Payne trumpets. He’s proud of his nephew, but Payne doesn’t want to draw attention to his family connection.
Still, Payne’s excitement bubbles when he talks about a family member becoming a presidential candidate or more.
“It’s just beyond my comprehension,” said Payne, who retired here five years ago after a career in planning and zoning in Colorado. “I never imagined it.”
Payne’s wife, Sue, said she was surprised to learn about her husband’s family connections to Obama.
“It’s kind of unreal,” she said.
The couple met in Littleton, Colo., and moved to Sahuarita because she has a daughter and granddaughter who live in Tucson.
Obama’s family history is well documented now. His father was from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas. His parents divorced when he was young and Obama lived in Honolulu and Indonesia during his youth.
His maternal grandmother, Madelyn Payne Dunham, is Payne’s eldest sibling. Their roots are settled deep in the sod of southern Kansas.
Payne, who is 70, grew up during World War II, aware of the war but not immediately affected by the conflict. His father worked for an oil company and several family members were off to war.
Folks in his town worked at an area oil refinery or in aircraft plants in nearby Wichita. Obama’s grandmother, known as Toot, worked at the plant helping assemble B-29 bombers, Payne said.
“She was a Rosie the Riveter,” he said, referring to the iconic tag applied to the millions of women who worked in American industry during the war.
“Everybody did something for the war,” he said.
Payne grew up with Obama’s mother, who is four years younger than he. They were more like cousins than uncle and niece.
Obama’s mother eventually left the plains for the hills of Hawaii, where she met Obama’s father. Payne moved to Colorado.
So it wasn’t until Obama was 11 or 12 years old when Payne first met his biracial nephew, who had come to the mainland to discover his Kansas family.
“I took Barack and his half-sister to a ballgame,” Payne said.
He recalled his young nephew as intelligent, personable and at ease meeting people during Obama’s first visit to Kansas.
The next time Payne saw his nephew was in 2000 in Chicago during a family celebration. Obama was senator in the Illinois state Legislature and was running for a seat in the U.S House of Representatives.
Payne found his nephew more serious but more dynamic and “very well spoken.”
Obama was a major focus of the family’s discussion, said Payne. The family encouraged Obama. Payne remembered his nephew, who had challenged a powerful Chicago pol and struggled in his race, which he ended up losing.
But Payne is not surprised that his nephew did not let political defeat hamper his ambitions. There was strong Kansas stock in Obama, said Payne.
Much of it came from Payne’s sister, Obama’s grandmother, who helped raise Obama in Hawaii, he added.
“Toot’s influence was significant. She’s a no-nonsense person,” Payne said.
His sister is outspoken and she faced her own professional obstacles to become a pioneering woman banker in Hawaii, added Payne.
“She demands and gets respect and attention,” he said. “Toot still has spunk.
Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, who died in 1995, also influenced him. Payne remembers his niece as outspoken and having broken some cultural barriers when she married Obama’s father.
As the heated Democratic primary race comes to its end, Payne said he believes his nephew will leave an indelible mark on American political history — win or lose.
His nephew has brought a new tenor to presidential and American politics, Payne said. Obama has changed the dialogue, added Payne.
And if Obama wins the primary and the presidency, Payne will have a celebration to attend in Washington, D.C.
Well, that settle the Jon question. Now we need to settle the Charles question.
Jon’s 2nd wife???
2. PAYNE, SUSAN ELLEN (Age 63)
Associated names:
WADE, SUSAN E
WADE, SUSAN WILSON
WILSON, SUSAN E
WILSON, SUSAN G
Available(6) Available LITTLETON, CO
BAILEY, CO
GREEN VALLEY, AZ
DENVER, CO Possible Relatives:
WILSONBENJDYA, KRISTIN D (Age 38)
WILSONPELLEGRINO, MELISSA (Age 40)
WADE, GLEN RITCHIE (Age 61)
WILSONBENJDYA, KRISTIN
PAYNE, JON V (Age 71)
Possible Roommates / Associates:
COUNSIL, GARY E
STRATTON, MICHAEL B (Age 58)
BENJDYA, ZOUHUIR NMI (Age 42)
STRATTON, JILL A (Age 59)
WOODSDERAEL, CHRISTINE C (Age 62)
So it wasn’t until Obama was 11 or 12 years old when Payne first met his biracial nephew, who had come to the mainland to discover his Kansas family. “I took Barack and his half-sister to a ballgame,” Payne said.He recalled his young nephew as intelligent, personable and at ease meeting people during Obama’s first visit to Kansas. The next time Payne saw his nephew was in 2000 in Chicago during a family celebration. Obama was senator in the Illinois state Legislature and was running for a seat in the U.S House of Representatives.
So Barack Obama met one of his great uncles in 1972 or 1973 (possibly 1974). And he didn't see that great uncle again until 2000.
Did he ever meet the other great uncle, the one he referenced in his Memorial Day speech. The one who lived in "his" attic 15 years before Barack was born?