Frances Burrell Payne was born in Camden, New Jersey on August 11, 1937, to the late Emma Sarah Cook Burrell and Isaiah McKinley Burrell, Sr. She was one of a set of fraternal twins, numbers 10 and 11 out of 12 Burrell siblings. Frances accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior at an early age and was baptized at Kaighn Avenue Baptist Church in Camden, New Jersey. She attended Camden City Schools, where she graduated in 1957, from Camden High School. She then went to business school, and later continued her education at Rutgers Law School.

In July of 1956, Frances was joined in holy matrimony with Chauncey B. Payne of Camden, New Jersey. They were married at the Kaighn Avenue Baptist Church by Reverend Herman H. Watts. From this union two daughters were born, Franchaun and Celeste. In the early 1960s’ Frances use her business skills as a secretary to assist her brother Isaiah McKinley “Ken” Burrell, Jr. with his real estate business, Burrell Real Estate in Camden, New Jersey. Her love for helping her community was of great assistance to the firm.

Her career advanced to becoming a Federal Agent for both the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Health Education and Welfare where she traveled the country and was responsible for Salt Lake City, Utah, Baltimore, Maryland and Washington DC regions. Frances’ love for her family led her to assist her brother Frank with helping his children with their homework and insuring that their assignments were completed. She instilled in them the importance of obtaining good grades and putting their best foot forward. One of her favorite sayings was the golden rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

After her career with the government, she held various communication positions – Harrah’s Casino in Atlantic City, the Crown Plaza, formerly known as the Hyatt and Event Marketing in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

In her semi-retirement years she fulfilled her passion for working with elementary school-aged children. She worked part time for the Cherry Hill Public Schools’ before school program where she helped shape the imaginations and life skills of hundreds of elementary youth who loved her dearly. Her retirement years were spent taking care of her baby brother Allen Craig Burrell, Sr. and checking on her family and friends to see how they were doing. Some of her favorite hobbies included, reading her Bible, research, politics and following current events. She also enjoyed visiting Atlantic City for the sun, sea, sand and yes slots. But what was most important to her was her deep love for the LORD, her daughters and family. When providing advice and guidance to others, Frances would often refer them to scripture such as the Sermon on the Mount and Hebrews 11:1-6. She was continuously encouraging, supportive and known for her feistiness! She had a great sense of humor, enjoyed watching sports and world news, her “stories”, Kelly and Michael and one of her favorites, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She also loved music, dancing, fashion and always left a lasting impression on everyone she met.

On august 11, 2015, she was able to celebrate her 78th birthday with her daughters, son in-law, other family members and friends. Frances passed away two weeks later, peacefully doing one of her favorite things, watching some of her favorite television shows.

Frances leaves to honor her memory: two daughters, Franchaun Bridgette Armstead (Troy) and Celeste Monique Payne; two sisters, Sarah Jeanette Worley and Clara Jane Spencer; a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

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