Calvin Worth Payton's Obituary
A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church in Longview on Wednesday, May 23, 2007 at 4 PM for Dr. Calvin Worth Payton with Dr. Pat Sparks and Revs. Jerry Turner and David Lindwall officiating under direction of Rader Funeral Home. Private burial services will take place at Lakeview Memorial Gardens. Dr. Payton passed away in Longview on Monday, May 21, 2007 after a brief illness.
Dr. Payton was born on September 28, 1919 in Lethbridge, Canada to Lona Still and Franklin Smith Payton. His family later moved to Kansas where he attended elementary and secondary schools. Dr. Payton graduated from the University of Kansas in 1940 and from the University of Kansas Medical School in 1943. Following a medical internship in New York City he served in the Pacific and European theatres during WWII as a Captain in the Army Medical Corps. After his discharge from the Army, he continued his education completing post graduate studies in ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his training at the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston and, upon finishing, remained on the faculty where he met his wife, Joyce.
In 1950 Joyce and Worth moved to Longview where he established his medical practice, serving the community until his retirement in 1984. While maintaining his medical practice in Longview, Dr. Payton remained on the visiting faculty at the UT Medical School in Galveston for over 20 years. He was a member of First United Methodist Church, the Downtown Rotary Club, and served on the Judson School Board. In recent years, he actively volunteered for the Literacy Council and Meals on Wheels. His professional associations include The American College of Surgeons, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, The American Medical Association, The Texas Medical Association and The Gregg County Medical Society.
Dr. Payton was preceded in death by a sister and brother and by one of his daughters, Susan Payton Van Burkleo. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Joyce Payton, children Charlotte Payton-Ross, Rene Berkley and husband Byron, Sandra Watson, Sheryl Thompson and husband Tommy, and Calvin Worth Payton, Jr. and wife Kathleen. Also surviving are grandchildren Allison and Payton Berkley, Rachel Watson, Calvin Worth III and Audrey Anne Payton, and Amy and Trevor Thompson. Dr. Payton leaves a sister, Mary Emery of Wickenberg, Arizona; a brother and sister-in-law, Roe and Diane Ross; a sister- in-law, Charlotte McGowan and several nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Asbury House, HeartsWay Hospice, First United Methodist Church or a charity of your choice.
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