MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — Sunday’s rain could not put out the fire behind the community holding a candlelight vigil to honor the memory of the man who was killed in a crash with a stolen car.
Vance Payne, 58, was driving to his office in Germantown, Maryland, when he was hit by the stolen car at the intersection of Clopper Road and Great Seneca Highway on August 4.
He leaves behind a wife and five children.
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On Sunday, community members held a vigil and made a roadside memorial.
Payne’s sister, Angela Klinkhammer, attended this ceremony, which happened just hours after the funeral.
“It was a very sad day for us. We got to see him for the last time,” Klinkhammer said, with an audible quiver in her voice. “But we’re going to make it through. He would want us to.”
The crash happened just a few minutes away from Payne’s office.
Klinkhammer said Payne’s wife and children are all still dealing with the emotional fallout from this tragedy.
“Their world was just kind of wiped out from under them in a matter of seconds,” Klinkhammer said.
Payne’s widow previously told 7News he was less than a year away from retirement.
At the vigil, Klinkhammer and others in attendance shared their fondest memories of Payne.
“He was kind to everyone in his work, his family. Someone said today, when my brother would go back home, everybody would just go rush to see him because it was like he was the mayor because he could solve any problem. He was the kind of person that you would want to be around because he was not only intelligent and kind, but he just made room for everybody in his life. He never wanted anyone to have suffering. If he could help them, he would. That was the kind of person he was,” Klinkhammer said.
Harrison Skye worked with Payne for 15 years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg.
He told 7News Payne was such a light to the office.
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“He always liked to cook breakfast in the morning. Anyone who wanted an egg sandwich knew they could come by and get one from Vance. He would always have a coffee pot on. He was one of the early guys. I think half the division ran on the coffee he brewed. He always had a smile on his face. Even when things were frustrating or he was having a hard time, he never complained,” Skye said. “Vance is a wonderful person. When I think of the phrase ‘salt of the earth,’ I think of Vance Payne. Always willing to help. We were at his service today, and somebody said, ‘For every one time he would ask for help, he would give it 20 or 30.’ I think that’s right.”
Now, Skye said the office has not been the same without his long-time colleague and friend.
“There’s a big hole that he left. Every time I walk by his office, I’m expecting him to say hello,” Skye said. “It’s hard. We’re a small group and people stay for a long time, so it feels like family. To lose somebody like that, it’s like losing a brother.”
Even people who didn’t know Payne felt the need to honor him Sunday.
“I live two blocks from here. I pass this intersection every day, and I was feeling so sad I never saw flowers or candles, or nothing,” said Yuki Nakandakari, who organized the vigil. “I do have kids, too. I commute every day here. I was thinking that crash could be me or anyone here in the neighborhood.”
A 13-year-old boy was allegedly driving the stolen car that crashed into Payne.
RELATED | Father of 5 killed after stolen car allegedly driven by 13-year-old crashes into him
There were six other kids in that car, all younger than 15-years-old, meaning nobody had a driver’s license.
Klinkhammer said she and the family are now grappling with what they believe was an avoidable tragedy.
“They were up to no good, and they did something wrong which resulted in the death of someone,” Klinkhammer said. “You can’t bring Vance back, no matter what. It was a lethal decision that they made.”
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