Who Was DePayne?
She was a former manager at the U. S. Department of Commerce and a former Charleston County community development director. She had also been employed for several years by Charleston County, where she helped administer grants aimed at helping the county's poorest residents with problems they couldn't otherwise afford to fix such as repairing roofs or septic tanks. She also worked with Charleston County Schools and served as a Grant Writer. She also worked with the Census Bureau in Charleston County. She graduated from Columbia College in Columbia, SC and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. She later graduated from Southern Wesleyan University with a Masters Degree in Business Marketing and later became an admissions counselor for her Alma mater. DePayne was also accepted into Penn State to pursue her Doctorate Degree, but due to her untimely passing, she was unable to pursue this dream. DePayne became a minister through the Baptist Church in 2002 and had just completed the requirements and received her certificate for the AME church on the night of the Massacre. DePayne loved to sing and sang "ALL" over Charleston. She can be seen and heard in many Youtube videos with Mt. Moriah Baptist Choir. She even had a single on the local stations. DePayne also sang in the Mother Emanuel AME Church choir. Whether she was working with college students or Charleston's poorest residents, she just wanted to be in a position to help people. She was a resident of Charleston, SC, but was raised in Hollywood, SC. She was the mother of four girls, Gracyn, Kaylin, Hali and Czana Doctor. She was the beloved daughter of Rev. Leroy and Frances Middleton.
Her Character spoke for itself. She was very kind and slow to anger. She had a way with words. She would tell you like it was without ever raising her voice or getting out of character. She was resilient and spoke peace over her life even when being down and broken. She was a fighter for her family even when going through a rough divorce. She was the middle daughter of 3, but often functioned as the oldest sister. She was an organizer and peacemaker for the family. She was an excellent Aunt and cousin. To truly know her is to love her.