Mary Lee Stevenson Payton, 97, died peacefully in the early morning hours of August 7, 2026.

Mary Lee was born in Brooklyn, NY, July 10, 1929. She attended grade school at Queen of All Saints and graduated from Baldwin HS on Long Island in 1947. Mary Lee worked for Long Island Telephone Company as an operator beginning at age 16. In 1953 she transferred to Savannah, Georgia as an Operator for Southern Bell with her three sons, and where her grandmother, aunt and cousins lived. She became an Administrative Assistant in the install and repair department on Gwinnett St. During this time, she was Secretary for the local Communication Workers of America (CWA). That’s when she met Richard E. Payton, Jr, who was President of the local union. The two were married in 1958 and the family grew, adding two daughters. They had five kids who attended Blessed Sacrament School.

A few years passed, and Mary Lee was determined and ready for advancement beyond the traditional roles offered to women at Ma-Bell. In the late 1960s, she became a true pioneer as the first female “Frame man” on the Main Distribution Frame Lafayette Square plant, wearing slacks and climbing ladders, as a troubleshooter-tester. From there she moved up to the Test Desk on Derenne Ave. Mary Lee picketed Southern Bell during the CWA strike in 1970. Although being out of work was scary, she could get feisty defending the union. Meanwhile, she and Richard were having a ball square dancing, attending Friday night high school football games, raising a family and enjoying friends.

In 1972 both Mary Lee and Richard took promotions in Atlanta, and both worked as Engineers in Dunwoody at Perimeter Center where they enjoyed their daily commute together. Before and during retirement they were Atlanta Falcons die-hard season ticket holders and huge fans of the Atlanta Braves. Mary Lee and Richard were prolific readers. They also traveled extensively, and they always returned to Savannah for St. Patrick’s Day and all the activities. They went to Hong Kong, Japan, Italy, Canada and the Caribbean. Mary Lee also traveled to Ireland on several occasions, home of her grandmother Mary A Murphy who immigrated to America in 1888. She also visited Australia, New Zealand, and the Holy Land. Mary Lee and Richard drove across the United States and back on a two-month trip. Two highlights of her travels were being able to Lector at Mass at a Chapel in the Vatican and then again in Cana.

Mary Lee was a dedicated communicant and longtime member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Lawrenceville, GA where she served as a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, office volunteer, and as a member of the Lazarus Committee, which organized funeral receptions. She also assisted in the Religious Education Office and participated in other Faith Groups. In 2007, she was recognized as an Outstanding Catholic Woman of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Mary Lee was an active member of the Telephone Pioneers of America and volunteered at the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta and at the 1996 Summer Olympics venue in Savannah.

Mary Lee was preceded in death by her mother, Catherine McHugh Stevenson; father, Thomas D. Stevenson; son, John D. Maher; grandson, Kevin P. Bolton; brother, Willian M. Stevenson; brother-in-law, Robert Timmes; sister, Helen L Larsson; and brother-in-law, Thomas R Larsson.

She is survived by two sons, Thomas F. Bolton (Cheryl) and Son, Michael J. Bolton (Pat); two daughters, Melissa Payton Maguire (Martin) and Suzanne Payton Greene (Frank); sister, Catherine N Timmes; brother, Thomas Daniel Stevenson; eight grandchildren, Jena Bolton Cowart (Ashley), Adam Bolton (Christina), Allison Greene Caldwell (Jonathan), Rachael Bolton, Anne-Marie Maguire, Chamblee (Ben), Andrew Maguire, Bryan Greene, and Sarah Greene; 11 Great-grandchildren, Chris Bolton (Michelle), Angel Bolton, Cullen Cowart, Maddie Shivley, Bailey, Maddox & Lucy Bolton, Justin & Mallory Cowart, Lilly & Zac Caldwell; three great-great-grandchildren, Cora Cowart, Kevin Michael Bolton, and Christopher Wayne Bolton; and several nieces and nephews.

In Lawrenceville, a visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at Wages and Sons Funeral Home, 1031 Lawrenceville Hwy, Lawrenceville, GA. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, 319 Grayson Hwy, Lawrenceville, GA

In Savannah, a visitation will be held on Friday, August 14, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. until 11 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 1003 E. Victory Dr., Savannah, GA. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be in the Catholic Cemetery, 1720 Wheaton St., Savannah, GA.