Verna Briggs MacLeod Payer, 96, of Old Mystic died peacefully on Monday, August 18, 2008 at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London.
She was born October 25, 1911 in Macedon, NY, the daughter of Verna Cotton and Raymond Briggs MacLeod. She married Harold Stephen Payer, M.D. in December 1931. Dr. Payer predeceased her in 1972 after 40 years of marriage. She was predeceased by a sister, Ramona MacLeod Kraii; two sons, Harold Stephen Payer, Jr. and Raymond Vaughn Payer; and a grandson, David Guthrie Phillips.
In her youth, Verna enjoyed growing up on a farm and attending the local one room school house. She was active in many sports including swimming, horseback riding, softball, basketball, and ice-skating on the Erie Canal. She graduated from Macedon High School where she played clarinet in the orchestra and participated in plays and musicals. Through her church, she spent two summers with the Epworth League at Silver Lake, NY, serving as Student Council President.
At the age of 18, Verna entered nursing training at Park Avenue Hospital in Rochester, NY. She also spent six months in Pediatrics at Fordham University Hospital in New York City. As a nursing student, she met her future husband. Following their marriage, the Payers moved to Bethlehem, PA and raised their family of five children.
In 1960, the Payers relocated to Norwich, CT. After her husband's death, Verna remained in Southeastern CT, living in Old Mystic, Groton, and Ledyard. She was an avid gardener, cultivating flowers and vegetables until the age of 91. She also loved trout fishing, clamming, mushrooming, and "putting up" pickles and preserves. Her other hobbies included painting, needlepointing, quilting, and rug hooking. In 2000, one of her rugs won first place in the Ledyard Fair.
She was an admired member of the Old Mystic United Methodist Church, serving many years on the Altar and Flower Guild. She was involved with the Groton Senior Center and enjoyed many activities with friends at Windham Falls Estates in Groton.
Beloved Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother, she enjoyed hosting family gatherings and reveled in the love of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is survived by son Stephen Charles Payer of Ivoryton and his wife Judith Greth Payer; daughter Bonnie Payer Phillips of Old Mystic and her husband Nicolas Guthrie Phillips; and daughter Verna Payer Buchs of Winter Park, FL and her husband Dr.Andre Ulysse Buchs. She is survived by 12 grandchildren; Heather Payer Boylan of Los Altos, CA; Johanna Phillips Clark of Eden Prairie, MN and Mystic, CT; Holly Payer McGowan of Nantucket, MA; Stephen MacLeod Phillips of Damariscotta, ME; Jonathan Texter Payer of Ivoryton, CT; Paul Timothy Phillips of Ledyard, CT; Susan Buchs Carey of Winterpark, FL; Raymond Briggs Payer of Pawcatuck, CT; Kristen Buchs Calendrille of Port Jefferson, NY; Christopher MacLeod Payer of Greenfield Center, NY; Anne Buchs Van Vleck of Chatham, MA; and Bonnie Payer Santos of Liverpool, NY. She also is survived by 22 great-grandchildren who fondly remember her as Momo.
A service will be held at 10:30a.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2008 at the Old Mystic United Methodist Church, 44 Main Street, Old Mystic, CT. A private burial will be held at Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic. There are no visiting hours.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Old Mystic United Methodist Church and the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Connecticut.
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