Born July 6, 1949, Bebe was the youngest child of Mildred and Walter “Uncle Dudley” Payne, and the constant companion of his older brother, Wilford. He attended Thorn Hill and John White elementary schools, as well as East Junior High and East High School during Youngstown’s post-World War II heyday.

After high school and a brief stint at Youngstown State University, Bebe enlisted in the United States Air Force and was initially stationed at a Strategic Air Command Base in Great Falls, Montana. He was then deployed to Cam Ranh Bay during the Vietnam War, saw combat during the Tet Offensive and was exposed to chemicals such as Agent Orange that contributed to the illness that eventually took his life.

Following his tour in Vietnam, Bebe continued his service at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. He then received an honorable discharge from the Air Force and remained in the Washington, D.C., area, eventually settling across the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia, but remaining fiercely proud of his Sharon Line roots.

As a child, Bebe used to wear his baseball cap to bed and his youth was characterized by a love of sports, music and dancing, passions he carried throughout his life. He starred in Little League baseball for Andy’s Auto Glass, on the East Jr. High and Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church basketball teams, and in the band and on the track team at East Sr. High. He also participated in the Youth Choir and Youth Usher Board at Price Memorial and was a member of McGuffey Centre Boy Scout Troop 18, where he achieved the rank of Life Scout.

A veteran, telecommunications technician, athlete, music lover, movie buff and fisherman, Bebe was rarely seen without a hat or a smile. He was beloved by all the children in the family for his eagerness to engage with them and amuse them. An avid golfer, youth basketball coach and local DJ, he delighted in traveling with his wife and the love of his life, Elaine, to whom he was married for 34 years.

In his civilian career, Bebe worked as a telecommunications technician troubleshooting and repairing data communications circuitry and related hardware before retiring from Verizon with 37 years of service. In his golden years, Bebe honed his golf game and took frequent trips to Las Vegas and Sunset Beach, North Carolina, with Elaine, in addition to regularly attending sporting events and organizing fantasy sports leagues.

Even as he aged, Bebe made a point of staying in touch with youth culture, and his dapper wardrobe and massive hat collection were two of his trademarks, along with his zest for life and his talent for entertaining others. He will be remembered as a loving husband, a doting father and grandfather, and a “cool uncle” to many nieces and nephews.

Bebe is survived by his wife, Elaine Gates Payne; son, Michael Mangum (Mandy); granddaughter, Mika Mangum of Cumberland, Maryland; grandson, Isiah Bishop of Frostburg, Maryland; stepgrandsons, Markel Spencer of Alexandria, Virginia, and Avery Spencer of Cumberland, Maryland; goddaughter, Chloe Gardiner of West Hartford, Connecticut; mother-in-law, Lola Gates of Cumberland, Maryland; sisters-in-law, Carole (Clint) Gardiner of West Hartford, Connecticut, and Sylvia “Loodie” Gates of Hagerstown, Maryland; and brothers-in-law, John (Sukhvinder) Gates of Cumberland, Maryland, and Steve Gates of Gettysburg, Pa.

Bebe also is survived by his aunts, Emma Gatewood (Arlette Gatewood, deceased) and Lynn Williams Phillips, both of Youngstown; as well as a host of cousins and countless friends.

Bebe was preceded in death by his parents, Mildred Louise Gatewood Payne and Walter A. Payne; his brother, Wilford A. “Wil” Payne; his paternal grandparents, Richard E. and Nannie Jones Payne; and maternal grandparents, Mayhue and Ella Current Jackson Gatewood.

Visitation for Bebe will be 10 a.m. Friday, May 30, 2025, at L.E. Black Phillips & Holden Funeral Home, 951 McGuffey Road, Youngstown, OH 44505, followed by a celebration of life at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America or any nonprofit that supports families affected by Alzheimer’s or funds research for a cure or better treatment of the condition.

(special notice)

CODY — Dreaming of a chance to meet NFL and Major League Baseball stars while supporting a good cause? The fifth annual Celebrities for a Cause kicks off in Cody June 19-21, providing a unique opportunity for fans and benefiting families in need.

“Cancer is so expensive, and it takes a lot,” said Ryan Brown, founder of Celebrities for a Cause, whose father lost his battle with cancer 15 years ago. “He was an awesome man and my hero.”

Watch the story here:

Celebrities for a Cause returns to Cody for fifth annual charity event

During his father’s struggle with the disease, the Cody community rallied around the family to help cover medical expenses. Inspired by that outpouring of support, Brown created the event to give back and provide assistance to others facing similar challenges.

Ryan Brown

“I’ve always just wanted to give back,” Brown said.

Celebrities for a Cause brings notable figures to Cody for a series of events. This year includes a youth basketball camp, trivia night, golf tournament and a celebrities in the park event.

Around 35 celebrities will join the festivities in June, with notable names confirmed, including former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis. Others include Major League Baseball players, wrestlers and actors.

“I’m very honored to be part of it,” said Michael Megerth, the general manager of Olive Glenn Golf Course. “This year will be really big too with some bigger names coming in. So people are really excited. This is Bronco country, Bills’ country now with Josh Allen as well.”

Every year, Celebrities for a Cause picks a new cause to donate to. This year, they will put $5,000 toward the Greg Senitte Memorial Scholarship at Northwest Community College and the rest will go to a fund benefiting patients at Big Horn Basin Cancer Center.

“It’s going to be set up in a fund to go directly to patients that will pay for their out-of-pocket expenses. So, it doesn’t go directly to the hospital. It’s just set up in a fund where if they need prescriptions or co-pay stuff like that,” Brown said. “Cancer affects everyone. It doesn’t matter, it could be someone you know, family member. It affects everyone. Everyone has had to deal with it one time or another. This is just a way to help families out while they’re dealing with it.”

Since its inception, Celebrities for a Cause has donated a total of $180,000. Prices for the tickets vary per event, click here to view more information and for a full list of celebrities attending this year.

• Forty five percent of high school student-athletes are playing multiple sports, according to MHSAA study,
• Schools across metro Detroit have been recognized as “high achievers” for encouraging student-athletes to play more than one sport.

At 17, Drew Sikora signed a letter of intent to play college football, fulfilling a childhood dream. What helped him get there?

SPOKANE, Wash. — One of the nation’s top high school basketball recruits in the class of 2026 will make a trip to Gonzaga in June as he continues his college recruiting process.

Ikenna Alozie, a five-star recruit ranked No. 9 overall and the No. 2 shooting guard in the class of 2026 by ESPN, told Joe Tipton of On3 Sports that he plans to visit Gonzaga next month. The 6-foot-2 Glendale, Arizona, native is navigating a new recruiting relationship with the Zags.

“I still don’t know much yet because they started recruiting me late,” Alozie told On3.com. “So it’s a new program and new recruitment process for me.”

Alozie holds offers from several programs, including Kansas, Alabama, Arizona, LSU, Tennessee, Washington, Creighton, BYU, Bryant and Cincinnati. He is also reportedly looking to visit Kentucky, Louisville and Houston.

Alozie will enter his senior year at Dream City Christian next season, an elite prep school in Glendale.

In late April, he earned First Team honors at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League after averaging 21.7 points per game on 62.2% shooting, along with 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

On Sunday, May 25th, we participated in the ” Kids Sports Festival ” sponsored by Ibaraki City, held at the North Ground of Ibaraki City Central Park.

Ibaraki City held the “Kids Sports Festival” again this year with the aim of providing children with an opportunity to try out a variety of sports so that they can find the sport that suits them best, and of fostering children who will continue to play sports.
Due to the rain that had been falling until the morning of the day, the event started two hours late, but about 150 children, from preschoolers to sixth graders, participated in the soccer class and enjoyed playing soccer with the GAMBA OSAKA school coaches.

We would like to thank Ibaraki City and the Ibaraki City Youth Sports Club for hosting this soccer class, and to all the children and parents who participated.
GAMBA OSAKA will continue to work towards becoming a club that is rooted in the community and loved by everyone in its hometown.

AS Roma have accused former club player and current Fiorentina striker Nicolo Zaniolo of showing up to the club’s capital facilities intoxicated, urinating in the dressing room and assaulting two youth players, sending both of them to the hospital on Monday.

Roma released the following statement on Tuesday:

“On the evening of May 26, following the Primavera semi-final match Fiorentina vs AS Roma at Viola Park, Nicolò Zaniolo (Fiorentina first team) unlawfully entered the Roma dressing room area accompanied by an associate, despite lacking accreditation,” Roma said in a statement.

“Witnesses report Zaniolo appeared visibly intoxicated. He urinated in Roma facilities, provoked players, and, without verbal exchange, physically struck Mattia Almaviva and violently pushed Marco Litti against a bench. Litti had recently undergone shoulder surgery. Both players required hospitalization: Almaviva received a 10-day recovery prognosis, Litti 21 days.”

Zaniolo has denied this, saying he walked away after being insulted.

“At the end of the match I went down to the locker room to congratulate the Fiorentina boys and then I went to the Roma locker room to say hello and congratulate them on the season, but at a certain point they started insulting me so, at that point, to avoid the situation degenerating, I preferred to leave,” he said. 

Zaniolo played for AS Roma from 2018 to 2023 before moving to Galatasaray. After that, he played on loan to Aston Villa, Atalanta and for Fiorentina in the last six months, playing 13 games in all competitions.   

Next steps

Given the complexity of this situation, it’s tough to tell what’s next but in Roma’s statement, they include backing their players and hoping that institutions will act to ensure accountability and protect the values of Italian soccer.