Providing Stability and Compassion to Rogers County

MMS-Payne Funeral Home & Cremation Service offers three locations and a caring, experienced staff.

MMS-Payne Funeral Home & Cremation Service has been a mainstay in Rogers County since opening over 100 years ago. Today, MMS-Payne has three locations: Chelsea, Inola and Claremore. Owner Ryan Payne says, “Our goal is to provide compassionate, quality service to our friends and neighbors in Rogers County. We are a community-oriented business. Everyone who works here lives in Rogers County, our children attend school here – this is where we’re from, and this is our home.”
At MMS-Payne, you can rely on stability at a time when everything feels anything but stable. “The loss of a loved one is often the most difficult, stressful thing we face in life,” says Ryan. “Our job is to make the process of honoring and celebrating a loved one’s life as stress-free and peaceful as possible for the family.”
Part of their stability stems from the familiar faces seen at MMS-Payne. Each member of the staff has spent their entire funeral career in Rogers County. Many have decades of experience and have worked at MMS-Payne for 10, 15, even 20 years or more. Employees include Denise Adamson, funeral director; Allen McElwain, funeral director; Charlie Bray, assistant funeral director; Frank Friedemann, director of family services; Susan Bickford, office manager of the Chelsea funeral home; Bonnie Kelley, office manager of the Inola funeral home; Frank Klucevsek; and Sharon Moody. Ryan Payne began working for the funeral home 21 years ago and became owner in 2013.
One valuable resource MMS-Payne provides is through Frank Friedemann, who helps families navigate the paperwork following the passing of a loved one, including insurance policies, Social Security information, death certificates, and any other issue that the family might have to deal with after a death. “Our after-care program is offered as a service to families at no extra charge. It is a great relief for many to receive this assistance in navigating the stacks of paperwork that arise,” says Ryan.
MMS-Payne is also the only funeral home in Rogers County with its own crematory onsite. “The staff members you meet are the people who take care of your loved one’s funeral services from beginning to end. You can trust that we will take care of your family members as if they were our own.”
Another aspect of MMS-Payne’s stability is their active involvement in the community. Every year, they sponsor the Claremore Veteran’s Day Parade. Ryan coaches little league soccer, and Allen and Denise support their children in the Claremore High School Band. “We do whatever we can for the community. This is our home. We are here for the citizens of Rogers County – stabile, growing and always striving to provide excellent, caring service.”