Veteran IBM Engineer Neil G. Payne Passes Away at 88

Neil G. Payne, an 88-year-old resident of Vestal, NY, passed away on September 5, 2026, at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, NY.

Payne was born on December 19, 1937, in Bainbridge, NY, to parents Howard W. Payne and Ida M. Foote Payne.

After graduating from North Senior High School, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a photographer with the 12th TacRecon squadron ('Blackbirds').

Payne graduated from IBM's Tool and Die Maker Apprentice Program and retired from IBM after 25 years as a Staff Engineer.

He later worked as a Materials Scientist at Dresser Rand, earned a B.S. from SUNY Empire State College in 1983, and was named Engineer of the Year by the New York Professional Engineers in 1991.