Colleen Payne
Colchester — Colleen Aimee Cecile (nee Szabo) Payne, of Colchester, and Avon, Conn., and Kannapolis, N.C., died Sunday, March 3, 2024, at Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. Colleen was the beloved daughter of Dr. Hema and Dr. Paula Szabo-DeSilva of Leland, N.C., and Avon. Colleen was born at dawn Easter Sunday, April 11, 1971, in Meriden. She was preceded in death by her husband Joe Louis Payne; and her father John Frederick Szabo.
Colleen had a beautiful voice, was fluent in French, played the flute and piccolo and had a flair for theatrics. Intelligent, independent, tenacious and resilient were just a few words to describe the special woman. Colleen was an avid Girl Scout in Avon. She was a graduate of Ethel Walker School in Simsbury and SUNY Binghamton, N.Y. As a certified teacher, she taught children with special needs in Connecticut. Since childhood, she embraced a love for literature, writing and reading daily. Some of her other favorite things included a love for everything purple, exploring museums and volunteering — giving her time at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church and being a leader for the American Heritage Girls of the Center Grove Lutheran Church in Kannapolis was a passion she held deep in her heart. In addition to helping others outside of her home, Colleen homeschooled her 8-year-old daughter Kailagh.
Colleen is survived by her four treasured children: Courtney Szabo, Louisville, K.Y., Keith (Amanda) Szabo, Boston, Mass., Colleen Szabo, New Britain, and Kailagh Payne, Kannapolis, N.C. She is also survived by her siblings: Liatt Bailey, Phoenix, Ariz., Jean-Louise (Keith) VanLandeghem, Waukesha, Wis., Eric Szabo, Arlington, Va., Manjula DeSilva, Decatur, Ga., and Nimalie (Robert) Yarem, Lexington, Ky.; and her niece and nephew, Kinley and Trevor VanLandeghem.
Please join us at the following events in remembrance of Colleen’s beautiful life: A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 11, (Colleen’s birthday), at Sacred Heart Church, Southport, N.C., with reception immediately following; a Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at Center Grove Lutheran Church, Kannapolis, N.C., with committal to follow; a Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, June
13, at St. Ann Church, Avon, with reception immediately following at PTS Italian Club, 32 Old Farms Road, Avon; a Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 14, at St. Andrew Church, Colchester. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in memory of Colleen for her daughter Kailagh. Donations may be made to the following: GoFundMe https:// gofund.me/5fa9f676. For further information, directions, or to leave condolences for the family, please visit www. carmonfuneralhome.com.