‘Tragic and painful loss’: Man fatally struck by 13-year-old in stolen car was a father of 5

BERRYVILLE, Va. — The Virginia man killed Tuesday when a car driven by a 13-year-old collided with his car in Germantown was a father of five and mechanical engineer commuting to his job at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg.

Montgomery County Police identified him Wednesday as 58-year-old William Vance Payne II. His Toyota Matrix was struck by a Kia Optima that had been reported stolen and held seven minors — four girls ages 14, 14, 13 and 12, and three boys ages 15, 13 and 12.

Payne lived with his wife, Lisa, and young children — two girls and a younger boy — in Berryville, a town of fewer than 5,000 people close to the West Virginia border. He also had two adult daughters, according to a GoFundMe for the family.

“We are focusing on our family right now as we process the tragic and painful loss of a devoted father, husband and friend to so many. Please respect our privacy at this time,” Lisa Payne texted to The Banner.

The family’s modest house, with a wreath on the door and children’s stickers in a window, sits less than a mile from Berryville Baptist Church, which the Payne family attends.

Brenda Dofflemyer, 68, who also attends Berryville Baptist, said sadness is spreading through the town as people learn of Vance Payne’s death.

“It’s unreal. I just saw him on Sunday,” she said.

The Paynes are a religious family looked up to within the church, Dofflemyer added. The success of the GoFundMe, which raised more than $32,000 in the day after their father’s death, shows “they’re very special people,” she said.

Payne’s neighbor Sarah Colfelt, 47, said she did not know the Paynes well but would often see his young daughters riding their bicycles and would sometimes wave to Payne’s wife when she drove by.

“I just saw that on Instagram,” Colfelt said of news of Payne’s death. “I didn’t know he worked all the way in Gaithersburg. ... That’s really sad because he has kids.”

Longtime federal employee

A statement released by NIST on Wednesday said Payne was a mechanical engineer who had worked at the federal agency for nearly three decades.

“His research focused on making residential heat pump and air conditioning systems more reliable, safe and efficient for the homeowners and residents who rely on them. Our thoughts are with Vance’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.”

Payne, according to his Facebook page, was from originally from Sandy Ridge, Alabama. According to his bio on NIST’s website, he went to Auburn University and earned his doctorate at Texas A&M in 1997.

The collision

At about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, a Kia Optima collided with Payne’s Toyota Matrix near Great Seneca Highway and Clopper Road. Payne was declared dead at the scene. Photos of the incident show two mangled cars, one of which was overturned in bushes.

Dozens of rescue workers came to the scene, and the seven children were taken to hospitals. The teen driving the Kia was in critical but stable condition and another occupant of the car was in critical condition, according to the county fire department.

The others sustained injuries of varying severity and were transported to trauma centers.

It may take Montgomery County Police’s Collision Reconstruction Unit weeks or longer to complete the investigation, police said.

Any charges related to the collision will be made by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“Such a tragedy for your beautiful family,” wrote one donor to GoFundMe.