CHI99110506 - 05 NOVEMBER 1999 - BARRINGTON, ILLINOIS, USA: Walter Payton's wife Connie, left, and his mother, Alyne, in front of the Life Changers Church in Barrington, Ill., where a private funeral service was held for the Hall of Fame running back, November 5. Payton died November 1, 1999 at his home of bile duct cancer. raf/ Ray Foli UPI |
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"She will be buried next to my father and with Walter," said Eddie Payton, older brother of the late Chicago Bears superstar and who also played in the National Football League for five years. "We are going to bury Walter's ashes with her. That's what she wanted."
Eddie Payton said his mother was the bedrock of the family and taught Walter, their sister Pam and him the value of hard work and faith. All three of the Payton children were at Jackson State at the same time on scholarships.
"It gave us all the joy in the world to accomplish some things that she had only heard about and read about," Eddie Payton said.
Walter Payton died at age 45 Nov. 1, 1999, of complications from bile duct cancer, a rare liver disease.