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Mary Payton currently lives with her daddy, mommy, and baby sister in Mandeville, Louisiana, a town right north of Lake Pontchartrain and New Orleans. Her daddy, Joe, works for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a psychologist, and her mommy, Nikki, works as a credit analyst for Parish National Bank. Her baby sister, Maison, is 2 ½ years her junior, and shows no signs of having the disease herself, although she will soon be tested also.
Mary Payton’s daddy is a native of Mandeville, Louisiana, where he graduated from Mandeville High School (class of 1991). He received his Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), where he was a member of Chi Psi fraternity. He completed his graduate work at the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Memphis.
Her mother, Nikki, is a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, where she graduated from Hendersonville High School (class of 1992). She also attended Ole Miss, where she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. It is at Ole Miss where her parents met.
Mary Payton’s maternal grandparents are Doug and Bettye Hale of Hendersonville, Tennessee. Doug and Bettye were high school sweethearts at North Nashville High School, graduating in the class of 1957. Bettye is a retired banker who also worked for the Sumner County Register of Deeds. Doug is also retired, but worked in industrial sales for companies in the Nashville area. They are members of First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville.
 Her paternal grandfather is a former Christian Brother and long-time teacher (48 years to be exact!). His name is Orlando Vigil, but some of his former students may know him as Brother Ambrose, Brother Joseph, or Brother Ambrose Joseph. He taught at many different schools, but he is well-known for his time at St. Paul’s School in Covington, LA, De La Salle High School in New Orleans, Christian Brothers School in the City Park of New Orleans, and Jesuit High School of New Orleans. The last 22 years were spent serving the St. Tammany Public Schools at Mandeville Junior High School.
Her paternal grandmother is also a retired teacher of 36 years. Her name is Pat Vigil. Interestingly, she is a former School Sister of Notre Dame, meaning that she was a nun. While in the convent, she was known as Sister Mary Deborah or Sister Deborah. As a nun, she primarily served a teaching role, teaching at various schools around the south and Midwest. Locally, she is known for her years of service in the parochial schools, namely St. Paul’s School in Covington, LA and Jesuit High School in New Orleans.
Her paternal grandparents met while they were still in their respective religious orders, but after falling in love, they wrote to Rome to be relieved of their simple vows to receive the higher Sacrament of Marriage.
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