Staff reports
The first day of the school year for Swain County Schools Monday was shrouded by sadness as the district marked the passing Saturday, Aug. 17 of esteemed running coach Keith Payne.
Coach Payne was the head cross country and indoor track coach and assistant outdoor track coach. He also worked for the school as a middle school health and physical education teacher.
He is survived by his wife Rachel and children Anna and Ben. A visitation was held Wednesday, Aug. 21 from 5-7 p.m. at Townson-Smith Funeral Home in Robbinsville. A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, Aug. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Swain Arts Center, located on the campus of Swain County High School.
“It is with a heavy heart that we inform you of the passing of a cherished staff member, Keith Payne, on Saturday afternoon,” said Superintendent Mark Sale in a message to media. “Keith was a valuable member of the Swain County Schools family and a beloved coach and community member. We ask that you keep Keith’s family in your thoughts. Coaches and counseling staff have met with current cross country team members and will be on hand for anyone that needs additional support over the next few days.”
As news of his passing spread, messages of gratitude and love poured onto his Facebook page from student athletes, colleagues and community members.
“Knowing Keith Payne was a blessing, getting to see how loved he was by everyone in our community is amazing. Talk about impact, you influenced countless people in such a positive way. You were a husband, father, soldier, coach and so many other amazing titles,” wrote Chandler Wood.
On Monday morning, Swain held gatherings before the school day at both Swain Middle and Swain High and had a crisis and counseling team on hand for staff and students.
To the broader community, Payne was known for bringing unmatched drive and success to Swain’s running programs. In total, the program has earned 11 NCHSAA state championship titles since 2019.
In 2022, Payne was named the NCHSAA 1A/2A Indoor Track Coach of the Year. Earlier this year, Coach Payne was named the Girls US Track & Field Cross Country Association High School Cross Country Coach of the Year for North Carolina.
Before coming to Swain, Payne also coached at Murphy, Andrews and Polk County high schools. “Coach” was his title since 1997, and he was a runner in high school and college, medaled in track.
Ian Roper, who coaches track at Swain and was close with Coach Payne shared the following statement printed by NCRunners MileSplit NC.
“It’s impossible to quantify how devastating the loss of Keith is to all of us who knew him and loved him. His family (Rachel, Ben and Anna), our running family, our school and our community are all grieving. He was a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, he was a brother and a friend. A saying that keeps running through my mind is that ‘the measure of a man can be seen in the lives he touched and the love he leaves behind.’ By that measure, Keith is the greatest man I've ever known. He has touched the lives of thousands of students and helped them grow into the best versions of themselves. I don't know how we move forward from here. I only know that we will. Keith would expect that of us.”
On Tuesday night, Swain’s volleyball team donated proceeds to the Payne family and took donations for the ring fund in lieu of flowers and for the Payne family.