Kenneth H. Payson ’68 died on May 26, 2024, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Kenneth H. Payson ’68

(The following was provided by the Mercadante Funeral Home May 26, 2024:)

Rutland – Kenneth H. Payson, 79 of Rutland and Sun City Center, FL, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Sunday, May 26, 2024, at UMass Medical Center.

Ken was born in Worcester, the son of Carlton B. and Barbara W. (Emmons) Payson. He earned his education from Bancroft School and Worcester Academy and later a bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College. Ken served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. He worked as an accomplished professional racecar driver and was a lifetime member of the Sports Car Club of America.  Ken was a well-decorated driver who won a national championship, thirty divisional championships, over one hundred national wins in the SCCA and over sixty track records. He was a former loan executive at United Way, past president of both Greater Worcester Jaycees and Worcester Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and was a former Conservation Commissioner.

In his spare time, Ken loved fishing for both freshwater and saltwater fish anywhere from Massachusetts to Alaska.  He also loved tennis and was a member of Holden Towers Tennis Club and Sun City Center Tennis Association in Florida.

Ken is survived by his beloved wife, Lori J. (McGinn) Payson; his daughter, Janine Payson-Szczygiel, and her husband, John Szczygiel, of Midland, MI; two step-sons, Maj. Maximilian Robidoux, USAF, and his wife, Ashley, of Kittery, ME, and AJ Robidoux of Rutland; a brother, Roger Payson, and his wife, Carolyn ,of Holden; six grandchildren, Sienna and Logan Szczygiel, and Alice, Catherine, Emilia, and Hazel Ann Robidoux; a brother-in-law, Michael McAllister of Rockport, ME; and many nieces and nephews.   He is predeceased by two sisters, Carla Payson and Patricia McAllister.