Anna Payne knew living was precious and service to others mattered.
According to those who knew and worked with her, Payne managed to temper a warrior’s determination with an endless supply of patience, strength, kindness, and compassion.
The Bucks County native and Langhorne resident died Monday, aged 37, after enduring significant health issues throughout her entire lifetime – from cystic fibrosis since birth to a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis at the age of 33.
Payne was a Middletown Township Supervisor, executive assistant to Bucks County Commissioner and Vice Chair Diane Ellis-Marseglia, an active member of the Democratic party, as well as serving on various organizations with one single-minded goal: To make life better for everyone.
Payne made a run last year for state office – earning praise this week from her Republican opponent Republican Rep. Joe Hogan, who won the race in November for PA District 142. District 142 includes portions of Lower Southampton, Middletown and Northampton townships and Langhorne, Langhorne Manor and Penndel boroughs.
Payne worked equally well with everyone she met – regardless of their political party, according to Connor O’Hanlon, chair of the Doylestown Democratic Committee.
“Anna fought every single day – not just for herself but for everyone else. Especially this last year when she ran for state representative,” O’Hanlon said.
Hogan posted condolences February 4 on X and said “Anna was a courageous fighter that spent her lifetime not only battling illness, but standing up for what she thought was right.”
Payne found a way to turn her own health struggles and misfortune into service to others. She continued to work in the Bucks County Commissioners office until shortly before her death, Ellis-Marseglia said.
“Anna made an impact on everyone. She went through the chemo [therapy], treatments and surgeries and [dealt with] the cystic fibrosis,” Ellis-Marseglia said of her late executive assistant.
Payne was most recently treated at Thomas Jefferson Health Network’s main campus in Center City Philadelphia for colon cancer.
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at a time when the life expectancy was about 17 “Anna was 33 when she was diagnosed with colon cancer,” Ellis-Marseglia said.
“Not only her courage and bravery did I witness…what a wonderful warm caring person she was. She was a pleasure to work with…a joy to be around and a real gem,” said Commissioner and board Secretary Gene DiGirolamo.
Beating the odds
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder affecting the lungs, digestive system and other organs, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Colon screenings may be covered by health insurance in some cases beginning at age 45, while most insurers will cover screenings for participants beginning at age 50.
“They are just starting to find cystic fibrosis patients are getting colon cancer [early] and Anna travelled around the country advocating for early screenings,” Ellis-Marseglia said.
In the 1980s, most cystic fibrosis patients were not expected to live past their teens. Today’s life expectancy for those living in the U.S. is about 48 years, according to the National Institute of Health website.
Advocacy
In 2019 Payne won Philadelphia KYW radio’s Women’s Achievement Award along with four other nominees.
She founded the Bucks County Cystic Fibrosis Alliance and was a member of the Pennsylvania Rare Disease Advisory Council. She volunteered at the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, as well as other organizations.
In a video on the Advisory Council’s website Payne describes her disease. “I was pretty lucky to be diagnosed at birth,” she explained in the video, showcasing her ability to be optimistic in the face of devastating illness.
“Anna was a fighter. I would say she was selfless. She had a personal connection to many of the things she was fighting for –especially in health care. She always put other people first and used her story and experience to lift other people up,” O’Hanlon explained.
Kierstyn Zolfo, a volunteer with Indivisible Bucks, said she met Payne in 2017.
“She was an amazing health care advocate … Anna always seemed to be a person who could not be defeated. She’d say ‘Okay, and here’s what I’m going to do next.’ Whenever someone was grousing about things, Anna would always lift the conversation – she was a solutions driven person,” Zolfo said.
“The key to understanding Anna is in the midst of her health care problems she said ‘I’m going to run for PA state representative,’” and she did, Zolfo said.
Stephen Seufert said Payne wanted people with disabilities to be treated with the same dignity and respect “we all deserve. That commitment to basic human decency is what drove her to action.”
Seufert is Bucks County Commissioner Chair Robert J. Harvie Jr.’s executive assistant.
“Don’t let obstacles in life define who you are. Be the light you want to see in life,” Seufert said of Payne’s determination.
Raised in Levittown, Payne was a Neshaminy School District graduate and earned an Associate of Business Administration from Bucks County Community College.
Ellis-Marseglia said Payne had a remarkable sense of humor “named her tumors, and would buy superheroes for her doctors. She took this (colon cancer) on and embraced the fight.”
“If there was one thing Anna would want to be remembered for it was kindness. It really hurt her to see people say mean things and hurt each other,” Ellis-Marseglia said.
