Veria L. (Draper) Payton

Veria Lee Payton was born August 12th, 1947, in Sardis Mississippi to the late Mr. Leland Draper, Sr. and Mrs. Lucile Draper. 

Veria accepted Christ as her LORD AND Savior at an early age.  She was a member at Worldwide Church  

Of God in Flint MI and later became a member at Rock Hill Baptist Church in Oxford, MS.  She was dedicated to serving the Lord Jesus Christ, truly a doer of the Word, and a disciple, a follower of Christ. Jesus Christ came to this earth to teach us the Way; to teach us how to be laborers for the Kingdom of heaven, how to love, how to pray, how to show compassion, how to forgive, how to be merciful, how to show grace and Veria accepted that call.  

The Father said the only way to Him is through His Son Jesus Christ. Veria, in her own quiet, graceful, accepting way, lived her life to demonstrate the way of Christ to everyone she met. Some of Veria’s last statements were, “because of Jesus, we have eternal life.” “He is not here (referring to Jesus in the grave), He has risen as He said.”  “He has broken the chains of death and rose as He said.”  “He didn’t owe it to me (she said), but He just did it.” 

Veria was educated in the Batesville School System, and she also attended classes in Flint Michigan.  She was determined to go back to school to get her Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED).  She also learned how to drive so that she could go wherever she wanted and didn’t have to depend on anyone else to take her places. 

Veria met the love of her life, Bobby Lee Payton, at the age of 16 and they were united in matrimony November 30, 1963.  

In 1968, Veria moved to Flint, MI with her husband and 2 children (Bobby Lewis and Christine) and in 1969, Pamela Marie was born. In November of 2013, the couple was blessed to celebrate 50 years of marriage with a rededication ceremony surrounded by family and friends. Veria and her husband were inseparable until his death on February 8th 2015.  She was a devoted wife, doting mother and made sure her husband and children were well taken care of.  She was caring and loved whoever came into her life.  

On Monday, September 19th 2022, while home with her family, she made her transition to her heavenly home and to join her beloved husband, Bobby Lee Payton, father, Leland Draper Sr, mother, Lucile Draper and three siblings, Donald Draper, Ruthie M. Abraham and Arthur James Draper. 

To embrace and forever cherish her legacy of following Jesus are her son: Bobby L Payton (Tevyan) of Smyrna Tennessee, daughters:  Christine McGill (Ronald) of Washington D.C., Pamela M Payton of Atlanta Georgia, grandchildren: JaQuan Ray, Julian Louden (Ashley), Jerrell Payton, Journi Payton, Nakia Pearson and Breona Carpenter: Great grandchildren, Derrick Brown, Nakya Brown, Connor Spotswood, Julia Louden: Siblings John H Draper (Denise) of Fresno, CA., Lexora Lester of Memphis TN, Leland Draper JR of Michigan, Varia Campbell of Sardis Mississippi, Noble Draper (Rosie) of Fresno CA, Billy Draper (JoAnn) of Memphis TN, Jim H Draper of Sardis Mississippi, Brenda L. Edwards of ST Louis MO, Terry Draper(Sherry) of Richmond Virginia, Erry Draper of Sardis MS, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.