FALMOUTH — Janet Ford Payson, 81, died peacefully after a long illness on Oct. 11 at Falmouth by the Sea.

On March 22, 1928, she was born in West Newton, Mass., the daughter of Fred Bennett Ford Sr., and Mary Kent.

The beloved wife of Eliot Brown Payson, she lived most of her life in Hamilton, Mass., where she raised two sons and gave generously of herself to her community and friends.

She loved gardening and flowers, and her home was full of vibrantly colored paintings reflecting her passion for art and her support of local artists. She was also a talented watercolor painter.

During her years in Massachusetts, she volunteered at the Beverly Hospital and Serenity House of Topsfield, where she combined her creative interests in art and landscape design with her desire to give back to her community.

She is survived by her husband Eliot B. Payson of Falmouth; her two sons, Charles F. Pingree of North Haven, and Sumner Pingree III of Sag Harbor, N.Y.; her stepdaughters, Wendy Payson Kerr of Longmont, Colo., and Susan Wright of Fairview, N.C.; her step-brother Latham Kent of Jupiter, Fla.; seven grandchildren; and one great grandchild.


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