Anne Thomson Peyton

Ann Thomson Peyton, age 93, of St. Albans, died peacefully at her home on Saturday, June 4, 2016. The child of George Thomson of Slamannan, Scotland, and Mary Reid Thomson of Avonbridge, Scotland, Anne was born on May 20, 1923 in Raleigh, West Virginia, in a house owned by The Raleigh Coal and Coke Company, for whom her father worked as a coal miner. Anne had a lifelong, abiding love for coal miners and a corresponding distrust of coal companies. Born to immigrant parents, Anne loved America and she loved Scotland as well. As a child she returned for a time to Avonbridge and then back to see her ancestral home twice later in life. Anne Peyton was a graduate of the Raleigh Mining Institute, Woodrow Wilson High School, the nursing school at Kanawha Valley Hospital and the School of Nurse Anesthesia at Charleston Memorial Hospital. During her 60-year nursing career, she was emergency room and house supervisor at H.J. Thomas Memorial Hospital. She worked as a certified registered nurse anesthetist in the surgical unit at Thomas for over 20 years and was instrumental in establishing a program of respiratory therapy at that institution. After retiring from Thomas Memorial, Anne served for years as nursing director at Riverside Nursing Home in St. Albans. At age 75, she took up private duty care to the terminally ill and helped many to pass peacefully and comfortably. Anne Peyton dedicated her life to saving and prolonging the lives of others. In the summer of 1943, Anne met and fell in love with Tom Peyton, a sailor from St. Albans who was home on leave from the war. On December 26, 1944, Anne and Tom got married in the living room of a preacher’s house in Huntington while Tom was home again from overseas duty. When the war ended, Anne and Tom set up housekeeping in St. Albans where they worked hard and raised two children in a loving household. Tom died suddenly in 1988 and Anne lived the rest of her life a widow in the home where she and Tom started out together. Her life ended in that house and in the same room where Tom “went away,” as she said. Anne Peyton knew and loved the Lord. She was a loving and supportive wife, mother and grandmother. At her death, she was the most senior member of the First Presbyterian Church in St. Albans. Her kindness to children and animals and fierce loyalty to her family was legendary, as was her care and compassion for those she nursed. As a New Deal Democrat, Anne voted in every election beginning in November 1944, when she voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Her last trip outside her home was May 10 this year when she cast her final ballot at Precinct 305. Anne Peyton was preceded in death by her parents George and Mary Thomson, her twin sister, Eliza Hill, her baby sister, Mary Jane Bender, her beloved husband, Tom Peyton, her daughter, Mary Frances McMillion, and her youngest grandson, James Huffman. Anne is survived by her son, Harvey Peyton (Jennifer) of Nitro; six grandchildren, Liza Hill (Jimmy), Veronica McMillion, Vincent Huffman (Lindsey), Tom Peyton (Marianne), Sarah Roberts (Bryan), and George Peyton (Jamie); 14 great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, and also by loyal friend and caregiver, Rodger Lee McCoy, who has worked alongside all of the Peyton family for more than 25 years and without whose help these last difficult weeks would have been unbearable. Anne and Tom Peyton, two warriors of “The Greatest Generation,” will now safely rest side by side looking over the City of St. Albans, a town they loved and to which they each gave so much. This is the sixth time, over four generations, the Bartlett-Chapman Funeral Home in St. Albans has helped the Peyton family through difficult times. The family is grateful. Special thanks to Nancy Holton, Pricy Boling, Cindy Tignor and Brenda Cyrus for the tender care they gave Anne. She loved them all. Funeral service will be held 11am Tuesday, June 7, 2016 at First Presbyterian Church, 201 Kanawha Terrace, St. Albans with Rev. Paul Romine officiating. Burial will follow in Cunningham Memorial Park, St. Albans. Visit Anne’s tribute page at www.chapmanfuneralhomes.com to share memories and condolences with the family. Visitation will be held from 6-8pm Monday at Bartlett-Chapman Funeral Home, St. Albans, WV. Bartlett-Chapman Funeral Home, family-owned and located at 409 Sixth Avenue, St. Albans is honored to have earned and kept the Peyton family’s trust.

Anne Thomson Peyton

May 20, 1923 - June 4, 2016