Body found in Lake Ralphine was Santa Rosa man

The 70-year-old man who was found dead in Howarth Park’s Lake Ralphine over the weekend was a former pension attorney, according to his wife.

The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office identified the body on Monday as that of Robert Payne of Santa Rosa. Payne, who had three adult stepchildren, had been a lawyer in New York before moving to California in 1994, said his wife, who did not want to be identified.

“He was a caring father and he was a caring husband,” she said.

His body was found at about 6:20 p.m. on Saturday in the small lake in Howarth Park in east Santa Rosa. There were no obvious signs of trauma and the death appeared to be a drowning, authorities said, although the cause remains unknown.

Payne lived in a small Rincon Valley apartment complex with his wife of 10 years. She said they liked to go for walks together at Howarth Park but had not been there for a while.

A quiet and reserved man, he also enjoyed crossword puzzles and could often be found sitting in a red camping chair outside their front door, reading books he’d picked up from the nearby library, his wife said.

She declined to discuss the death of her husband. However, she said, “it wasn’t foul play.”

Payne’s body was found by a passerby who saw something partially submerged near the boat launch.

An autopsy is scheduled for today, said Sgt. Greg Stashyn, who runs the coroner’s office.

“We are still looking into the circumstances (that) surround his death,” he said.