Karli Payne spent much of her short life playing softball and volleyball, but she had lots of interests and talents beyond the diamond and the courts, her parents, Lori and Jerry, said.
The 13-year-old died July 4, after she was struck by a car while trying to cross Hwy. 67 on foot following a fireworks display on June 30 at St. Pius X High School in Crystal City.
Karli had just completed the seventh grade at Our Lady Catholic School in Festus and she lived with her family south of Festus.
“She was an extrovert,” her mom said. “She always carried a smile on her face on and off the field. Yet, she was determined when she wanted to be determined. She was hardest on herself.”
The Paynes said their daughter excelled in many areas of life, but reveled in the sports she played.
Jerry, an assistant coach for the Louisville Lady Sluggers-Clark softball team for girls 14 and younger that Karli played for, said his daughter was a smart, top-level athlete.
“It’s an elite, traveling team,” Jerry said. “She played third base and pitched. She had the knowledge to play every position on the field.”
“She batted clean-up,” Lori added. “She also played volleyball for St. Louis Crossfire Elite. She was a good leader, a captain on her volleyball team for a couple of years. She also played CYC (Catholic Youth Council) volleyball and basketball.”
Karli was good not only to teammates, but also to opposing players, her parents said.
“A couple of mothers told me that when their daughters joined the Sluggers, Karli was the first to welcome them,” Lori said.
“She was very helpful to players on other teams, explaining what they needed to do to be successful,” Jerry said.
Karli easily made friends.
“She loved to be around people,” Lori said. “She was a funny kid, fun-loving and just fun. She and her dad always played games in the car together.”
Karli also enjoyed riding her ATV four-wheeler around the subdivision, Jerry said.
Lori said her daughter also enjoyed volunteering at Our Lady Catholic Church.
“She often performed the readings during Mass at Our Lady during the week,” Lori said.
Karli’s parents said she also liked to create videos for TikTok.
“She loved to do TikTok dance videos with friends,” Jerry said.
She also had an interest in baking.
“She liked to bake cakes and cupcakes,” Lori said.
Karli kept the family punctual, her parents said.
“All her life, she was very time-oriented,” Jerry said. “She didn’t procrastinate in anything.”
“Her being time-orientated impacted our family,” Lori said. “She kept us on our toes.”
Karli’s drive also showed itself in the classroom.
“She was a straight-A student at Our Lady,” Lori said.
Our Lady School Principal Tracy Kempfer said Karli was the kind of student any school would want.
“Karli was an exemplary student and person,” Kempfer said. “She was passionate about her schoolwork and her sports and her friendships.
“She was funny. She could be quite sarcastic at times, but always kind. She was so well-liked. She was just one of those kids you want around you.”
Lori and Jerry said Karli once started her own business.
“She was an entrepreneur,” Lori said. “She had a slime business two years ago. She’d take orders, make it and sell it at school. She created a membership club.”
“She had partners,” Jerry said.
Karli had not decided a career path, but she was interested in going to college and had a few specific schools in mind, her parents said.
“She would have been in the eighth grade this year and planned to go to St. Pius (X High School),” Jerry said. “She went to St. Pius (sports) summer camps.
“What she expressed to me was that if she went to college for volleyball, she wanted to go to Texas A&M. If she went to college for softball, she wanted to go to Oklahoma State.”
Lori said Karli also showed an interest in an Ivy League college.
“She used to have a Harvard University screen saver on her phone,” her mother said.
A St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, Karli got to meet one of her Redbird heroes.
“We have a picture of her with Yadi (Molina),” Jerry said. “Yadi took (Karli’s) older brother Cayden’s baseball team, Impact 4, to Puerto Rico to play in a tournament at Yadi’s home field. The picture’s from that tournament.”
Kempfer said the Our Lady School community feels Karli’s loss.
“She left a big hole in our hearts,” Kempfer said. “She was just a good kid.”
In addition to her parents and brother, Cayden, 14, Karli is survived by brother Gerald III, 24, and sister, Megan, 19, as well as grandparents Mike and Shirley Arnold. Memorials may be made to the Karli Payne Scholarship Fund, Our Lady School, 1550 St. Mary’s Lane, Festus, 63028.