Champion archer who dreamed of competing in the Paralympic Games is remembered

There are people you meet in life who have a lasting impact on you, and Army veteran Babette Peyton of Chicago is one of those people.

We at NBC Chicago first met her a few years ago – training at the Kroc Center where she would practice several times a week. A champion archer, her goal was to compete in the Paralympics one day.

A military injury left Babette partially paralyzed and unable to walk. After a visit to a Paralympic military sports camp, she fell in love with archery.

“She would use her right arm to hold bow and arrow and draw back with her mouth,” said her niece, Rosette Peyton. “She would get bulls eye every time. She had over 150 medals.”

Babette Peyton died February 11th. Her funeral was held at St. James AME Church in recent days, where family and loved ones remembered a life well-lived.

“She scared the living daylights out of me,” said Regis Woods. “She could hit targets better than a lot of archers who were not handicapped.”

Her niece perhaps composed the perfect tribute for her aunt.

“I don’t think I saw her frown a day in her life,” said her niece Kathy Peyton-Chaney. “I don’t think I ever saw her get made. She was always encouraging. There was nothing she could not. She leaves a legacy for others. We stand proudly on her shoulders. She was always giving and paying it forward.”