Lisle Warren Payne

September 1, 1942 - October 12, 2022

Lisle W. Payne, beloved husband, father, mentor, coach, and businessman, passed away on October 12, 2022, at Stanford Hospital after a seven week courageous battle against rare blood cancer and disorders.

Son of Lisle Dean Payne and Erna Katherine (née Warren) Payne, Lisle was born in Des Moines, Iowa. A proud graduate of Roosevelt High School where he was class president. Lisle left his hometown to go to the University of Arizona where he belonged to the Sigma Chi Fraternity where he was elected Beta Phi Consul in his senior year. Sigma Chi was a leader in the Fraternity system at the University including athletics, academics, and student government. Lisle was active in many of the UA Men’s Honorary societies (Sophos, Chain Gang, and Bobcats). Over his lifetime, Lisle continued to be active in the Chapter in many ways – helping to create a new house, on the board of the Beta Phi Educational Foundation, and a member of the Beta Phi Hall of Honor. Earlier this year, Lisle was honored by being named a Significant Sig, one of the Fraternity’s highest honors. Lisle just loved his brothers.

After graduating from the University of Arizona in 1964, Lisle entered the MBA Program at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating with an MBA, he pursued a very successful career in real estate starting the Fox Group, where he was Chief Executive Officer of this national real estate firm. Along with his wife Roslyn, Lisle taught for several years at the Haas School of Business. Endowing the Lisle and Roslyn Payne Chair in Real Estate Capital Markets, they are “Builders of Berkeley.”

Throughout his career, Lisle demonstrated leadership in the real estate industry at the national, state and local levels: Board of Directors for the Real Estate Securities and Syndication Institutes, Chair of the Board of Directors for the California Housing Council, and a member of the Real Estate Investment Committee to the Corporations Commission of California. Lisle and Roslyn were early members of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at Berkeley.

Lisle had a strong commitment to education and youth. He served on the University of Arizona Eller College of Management Board of Advisors and received well deserved recognition as the Eller Alumnus of the Year in 2011. In Northern California, he was on boards of the San Francisco Day School (K-8), and St. Ignatius College Preparatory (9-12). For Cal, he was on the Board of the University of California Berkeley Foundation which financially and strategically supports the University.

What Lisle loved the most was being a volunteer basketball and baseball coach at San Francisco Recreation and Park Hamilton Recreation Center, coaching his sons Matt and Drew and their friends. The recognition of the importance of sports for many children, lead Lisle to join the Board of the Positive Coaching Alliance where he served for many years.

Curiosity was a core characteristic of Lisle. As a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Lisle enjoyed the combination of learning about different industries and meeting friends from around the globe. He was the Chair of the Golden Gate Chapter in Northern California, and driving force in the Financial Forum, and beloved “moderator” of the Delta Forum. He was always ready to travel around the world and visited over 80 countries with Roslyn – they always traveled with friends and made new friends at every stop. Lisle also was an avid fishman, and he fished in both salt water and fresh water taking his sons every year on an adventure. Prior to his hospitalization, they had been fishing for tarpon in Mexico where Lisle caught a tarpon with a fly.

Lisle was an extraordinary man with the biggest heart. A favorite saying from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.” This was Lisle Payne

Lisle was devoted to his wife of 48+ years, Roslyn, his sons Matthew and Andrew, and a special mentee, Jermekio Barlow. He is survived by his sister Kate Ridenour and his nieces, Heather and Rachael, his brother David (Carol), and brother Tom (Kathy).

A private funeral was held at Home of Eternity Cemetery, Piedmont, CA.