John T. Payton
April 25, 1962 ~ November 3, 2022
John Theodore Payton was born on April 25, 1962 in Williston, ND. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church. He grew up in Rapid City, SD where he attended Grandview Elementary, South Junior High and Rapid City Central High School. He graduated high school in 1980. He went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD and a Paralegal Certificate from Denver Paralegal Institute in Denver, CO. John loved the Black Hills of South Dakota and was proud of being from South Dakota. He enjoyed the outdoors and loved to fish and hunt deer and pheasants. He was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan and never lost faith in them even when they were losing. Poker night with the guys was an activity he always looked forward to. Evenings playing Dominos and various card games with his family were always a joy for him, especially when he was winning!John loved his family very much and especially his wife, Nancy, of 33 years. They took several trips together. Their favorites included Rapid City and the Black Hills in South Dakota, Yellowstone Park, Hawaii, San Diego, Florida, Minneapolis, and a Caribbean cruise. He was very involved with the sports activities of his nieces and nephews, even in the coldest of weather. They knew they could always count on him to be in the stands cheering for them. John worked hard and took pride in his career. He spent the last part of his career working for EMC Insurance where he was the Workers Compensation Claims Supervisor.John passed away at the age of 60 after a brave battle with interstitial lung disease. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Payton; parents, Robert and Shirley Payton; sister, Nancy Gray (Jeno); uncle, Duane Martchinske; 16 nieces and nephews and 29 great nieces and nephews. Viewing will be from 4:00 - 7:00 pm, Monday, November 7, 2022, at Downing & Lahey East Mortuary. Rosary will be at 10:00 am, Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 am, Tuesday, November 8, 2022, at All Saints Catholic Church. Memorials have been established with: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 S. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105; All Saints Catholic Church, 3205 Grand St., Wichita, KS 67218. John will be greatly missed by all.
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It was a pleasure to know John! His quick smile and hugs won’t be forgotten! The world has lost a good, good man!
I had the great pleasure of working with John at EMC. John made EMC a better company for both our customers and his coworkers. John and I also shared a love of the Black Hills. I will continue to think of John whenever I visit that beautiful place. May he rest in peace.
I remember Aunt Nancy and Uncle John taking me and Teresa to South Dakota. It was our very first trip to see Mt Rushmore and it was my favorite childhood memory. We loved spending weekends at their house and looked forward to playing cards and having New Year’s parties over there. We will miss you so much Uncle John!
Love you always!
Anna, Justin, Owen and Kobe.
All of these memories are coming to me the last couple of days. The happy times with John and Nancy. Volleyball, Parties in the backyard, 4th of July, New Years. John was the sweetest man and loved Nancy so much. I am praying and thinking of Nancy and family. I was so sad to hear of John’s passing.
Debbie Snider
One time in High school, the football team and I were playing a game in the pouring rain. It was wet, muddy, and extremely cold. We were dreading the game, but what kept my hopes up was looking to the stands and seeing Uncle John with Aunt Nancy wearing their ponchos. Even though it was rough outside, Uncle John kept a big smile on his face while cheering me on! He made that game special. I’ll never forget how much he supported me and my fellow cousins throughout his life. He was a compassionate man that treated all his nieces and nephews like his own children.
Rest well Uncle John. We love you, and will miss you so much.
Brandon
I am honored to have the privilege to have known John. John always met you with a sincere, warm greeting, smile and friendliness. John’s love for family, his intelligence and positive attitude was just inspiring!
I will always remember our lunchtimes together. John was a fine man and will be missed
Just heartbreaking to find out this morning that John had passed.
We met in our Sophomore year at Black Hills State. A quick friendship formed and he made my college years full of fun times that I will always cherish.
On our graduation morning we made a pack to be each other’s best men when we married. Five years later I flew to Kansas for he and Nancy’s wedding. One year later he stood with me in South Dakota when Sara and I took our vows.
Goodbye buddy and thanks for the memories!
Steve
John was a dear friend in high school and will be deeply missed. Rest In Peace John
So sorry to hear of John’s passing. He was a good friend in high school and I am glad to hear he became a good man as well. Wish we would have stayed in touch. It sounds like he blessed a lot of people during his lifetime and will be missed by many. Good bye my friend.
I am saddened to hear of John’s passing. I had the privilege of sharing some classes with John while we both were at Rapid City Central High. He had a great sense of humor which made him so easy to like and get along with. After I graduated in 1979 and moved to the Bay Area in California, John made a point of contacting me when he was visiting in the area. We were able to spend a few days together catching up on life. I saw John one more time at an anniversary party for his parents after I had moved back to Rapid City. We weren’t able to spend much time together, but it was clear that he had become a very fine human being. I am so happy to see that he found Nancy and was able to spend many years with her. My deepest condolences got out to Nancy, his parents Robert and Shirley, his sister Nancy, and the rest of his family and many friends. Rest in peace.