Myron Paine
June 27, 1934 - March 19, 2024
Resident of Pleasant Hill, CA
Myron David Paine died peacefully Mar. 19, 2024, in Pleasant Hill at age 89. A longtime resident of Martinez, Myron and his wife of 63 years, Birdie Lou Preheim, also lived in Concord for a time.
Myron was born in Ree Heights, South Dakota, to David D. Paine and Vera Miller. After growing up on the farm, he graduated from South Dakota State University as an agricultural engineer. He went on to get his Master’s in engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD from Oklahoma State University, creating one of the first computer aided modeling systems for feed management of beef cattle.
He met his bride while teaching at South Dakota State. Soon after the birth of their first two daughters, they embarked on an adventure, heading to Laos with International Voluntary Service. Ending his time in Laos as an upcountry fuel supervisor with Air America, he returned with his family to the States in the summer of 1966.
His career in agricultural engineering involved research and teaching at Oklahoma State University, including flying his own small plane over a five-state area to monitor and advise on the environmental impact of feedlots. The family welcomed a third daughter while living in Stillwater.
With wide ranging interest in other cultures, and agricultural development, he also worked on short term agricultural projects in both Mali and Kuwait.
A third-generation pilot of small craft planes, Myron eventually followed his passion for aviation, moving the family to Wichita, KS, where he developed the avionics for Cessna’s Citation aircraft. He ended his avionics career with Flight Safety in Tulsa, Oklahoma, working on flight simulators.
After retiring, he moved with Birdie to Martinez, CA, living in the area for the last 23 years of life where he learned to cook and enjoyed family and hiking, and spent much of his time researching early Viking incursions into North America. His interest included artifacts, and especially research on the impact of Old Norse on Native American language. He traveled in pursuit of this passion and greatly enjoyed sharing his interest with others.
He is survived by three daughters, TaVee Lee, Martinez, Tami Halloran, Denver, CO, Teresa (Dirk) Schoellner, Hickory, NC, and six grandchildren, Jake and Daniel (Asialani) Magner, Elizabeth, and Caley Halloran, and Eric and Brian Schoellner.
A celebration of his life will take place Saturday, March 30th, at 2 PM at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 1601 Mary Drive in Pleasant Hill, with reception to follow at the church hall.