Oh man, so sorry to read this.
In my experience, pawpaw branches do not easily propagate. I have not had success with transplanting runners either.
Do you not have runners? I planted a pawpaw tree here (purchased from a nursery) maybe ten years ago, the original is now huge, and has 15-20 smaller younger trees surrounding it. They pop up from the roots of the main tree. Or maybe the runners didn't survive the honeysuckle event either?
