Beth Shuey McGuire is an American author and faith-based ministry founder best known as Sean Payton’s former wife and the mother of Meghan and Connor Payton. She is not the Beth Smith Shuey named in a 2025 Charlotte obituary.
Beth and Payton married in 1992, began divorce proceedings in 2012, and completed their divorce in 2014. She later married Jamie McGuire, co-wrote Beautiful Ashes, and developed the official Beautiful Ashes Ministries site, which remained active with events and retreats in 2026.
Quick Answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who is Beth Shuey? | Sean Payton’s former wife, mother of their two children, co-author of Beautiful Ashes, and a ministry founder |
| Did she die in 2025? | No reliable report says Beth Shuey McGuire died; that obituary concerns a different woman |
| Who are her children? | Meghan Payton and Connor Payton |
| Who is her husband? | Her official 2022 author biography identifies Jamie McGuire as her husband |
| What does she do now? | She leads faith-based healing work through Beautiful Ashes Ministries |
| How old is she? | Many sites report a 1968 birth year, but no authoritative source reviewed confirms it |
Beth Shuey Key Facts
| Fact | Verified or carefully qualified information |
| Full current name | Beth Shuey McGuire |
| Known for | Former wife of NFL coach Sean Payton |
| Hometown | Morocco, Indiana |
| Education | Indiana State University graduate |
| Birth year | Commonly reported as 1968, not independently confirmed |
| Exact age | Not reliably verified |
| First husband | Sean Payton |
| First marriage | July 11, 1992, is the consistently reported date |
| Divorce | Filed in 2012 and finalized in 2014 |
| Children | Meghan Payton, born in 1997, and Connor Payton, born in 2000 |
| Current husband | Jamie McGuire |
| Book | Beautiful Ashes, co-written with Victor Fadool |
| Public work | Author, former Divorce Care leader, care coach, podcast co-host, and ministry founder |
| Residence | Official 2022 author bio said Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Net worth | No authoritative figure |
Who Is Beth Shuey?
Beth Shuey, now publicly known as Beth Shuey McGuire, built a public identity beyond her former marriage. Her current work focuses on Christian faith, healing after divorce, retreats, speaking, and community support.
Many people first encountered her name through Sean Payton’s football career. He coached the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl title and now leads the Denver Broncos. The official Broncos biography supplies current context for his career, but it does not define Beth’s present work.
Instead, Beth’s own public materials describe a path from a painful, highly visible divorce to church care work, writing, podcasting, and ministry. Therefore, calling her only an “NFL wife” leaves out the best-documented part of her life after 2014.

Is the Beth Shuey Obituary About Sean Payton’s Ex-Wife?
No. A 2025 obituary that appears in search results belongs to a different woman named Beth Smith Shuey.
That woman’s full birth name was Elisabeth Lynne Smith. Her obituary says she was 63, came from North Carolina, graduated from Appalachian State University in 1984, worked in textile sales and real estate, and died on March 2, 2025.
By contrast, Sean Payton’s former wife is Beth Shuey McGuire. She is associated with Indiana State University, has two children named Meghan and Connor, and has an official author biography that identifies Jamie McGuire as her husband.
| Identity check | Beth Shuey McGuire | Beth Smith Shuey |
| Connection | Sean Payton’s former wife | Charlotte-area realtor |
| Education | Indiana State University | Appalachian State University |
| Children | Meghan and Connor Payton | Obituary described her dogs as her children |
| Husband or partner | Jamie McGuire | David Griffin |
| Public status | Ministry activity continued in 2026 | Died March 2, 2025 |
The names overlap, and both women have North Carolina connections. However, their legal names, relatives, education, careers, and family structures do not match. Consequently, the obituary provides no evidence that Beth Shuey McGuire died.

What Is Known About Beth Shuey’s Early Life and Education?
Beth comes from Morocco, a small town in northwestern Indiana. Sean Payton identified her as a woman from Morocco when he recalled meeting her at Indiana State University.
Reliable summaries describe Beth as an Indiana State graduate. In addition, several biographies report that she completed a marketing degree after attending North Newton Junior-Senior High School.
However, public information becomes less reliable when it moves into exact personal data. Numerous pages list 1968 as her birth year, yet none provides a primary birth record or direct statement. Likewise, a hometown does not automatically prove a birthplace.
The article can therefore identify Morocco as her hometown and Indiana State as her university. It should not convert repeated biography-site claims into a verified birthday, height, weight, or body measurements.
How Did Beth Shuey Meet Sean Payton?
Beth met Sean Payton at Indiana State University around 1990. At the time, Payton worked on the university’s football staff, while Beth had studied there.
The couple married on July 11, 1992, according to consistently reported records. Their marriage then followed Payton’s coaching career through college football and several NFL teams.
Payton joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a quarterbacks coach in 1997. Later, he worked for the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys before the New Orleans Saints hired him as head coach in 2006.
Beth and the children moved with the demands of that career. The family lived in the New Orleans area and later shifted its primary home to the Dallas–Fort Worth region while Payton continued working in Louisiana.
The high point of his Saints tenure came when New Orleans won Super Bowl XLIV after the 2009 season. Beth appeared with him at major public events during that period, although dependable sources reveal relatively little about her own private routines.
A general biography of Sean Payton provides useful football and family context. Nevertheless, Beth’s history should not be reduced to a list of his coaching positions.
Who Are Beth Shuey’s Children?
Beth and Sean have two children: Meghan Payton and Connor Payton. Meghan was born in 1997, while Connor was born in 2000.
According to current reporting on Meghan and Connor, Meghan pursued sports journalism and media work. Connor, meanwhile, studied at Texas Christian University and explored work in professional football operations.
Their family story also inspired part of the 2022 Netflix film Home Team. During Sean Payton’s 2012 NFL suspension, he helped coach Connor’s sixth-grade football team in Texas.
However, public interest in their parents does not make every family detail public. Therefore, a careful biography should avoid guessing about custody, private relationships, or current family arrangements.
When Did Beth Shuey and Sean Payton Divorce?
The legal process began in June 2012 and concluded in 2014. Sean Payton filed the initial petition in Tarrant County, Texas, on June 14, 2012.
Beth filed a counterpetition on June 26. A contemporary ESPN report documented both filings and their different requests concerning the children.
The initial petition used no-fault language. It cited discord or conflict of personalities that prevented a reasonable expectation of reconciliation.
Sean initially sought a division of property and joint custody. Beth’s counterpetition asked for the authority to designate the children’s primary residence and make certain medical, legal, and educational decisions.
Those requests show the parties’ positions at the start of the case. However, they do not establish the final custody order, property division, or support terms.
The divorce became final in 2014. Consequently, pages that say Beth and Sean “divorced in 2012” confuse the filing year with the final decree, while the 2016 date found elsewhere online is also incorrect.

Why did Beth Shuey and Sean Payton divorce?
The most reliable answer is the no-fault language in the filed petition: discord or conflict of personalities. Beth later described the experience broadly as a painful public divorce in material connected with Beautiful Ashes.
However, dependable sources reviewed for this article do not prove the affair, pregnancy, violence, or ski-trip stories repeated on weak websites and social media. Therefore, those allegations should not appear as the established cause.
What happened with custody and the settlement?
Public reports establish what each side requested, not every term of the final agreement. No authoritative source reviewed provides a complete custody order or divorce settlement.
Similarly, the former family home’s asking price cannot reveal Beth’s payout or present wealth. A property may carry debt, sell for a different amount, or belong to a settlement structure that remains private.
Did Beth Shuey Remarry?
Yes. Beth later married Jamie McGuire, and September 20, 2020, is the widely reported wedding date.
Most importantly, the official book record identifies Jamie as her husband. Its 2022 author biography also said they lived in Raleigh, North Carolina, and enjoyed hiking and spending time in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
That source confirms the marriage and the couple’s location at the time of publication. However, a 2022 biography should not serve as proof of a permanent 2026 home address.
The Netflix film complicates the timeline by presenting a husband named Jamie during events set in 2012. In real life, Beth’s reported marriage to Jamie McGuire occurred eight years later.
What Is Beautiful Ashes?
Beautiful Ashes is a Christian faith-based book by Beth Shuey McGuire and Victor Fadool. Beautiful Ashes Book, LLC published it on September 29, 2022.
The book uses Beth’s divorce experience as the starting point for a message about healing, forgiveness, faith, and renewed purpose. Her official biography says she previously served as a Divorce Care leader and a one-on-one care coach at Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, Texas.
Therefore, the book did not emerge only as a celebrity memoir. It also grew from Beth’s work with people navigating separation and emotional pain.
The official description avoids promising a neutral history of the Payton marriage. Instead, it presents Beth’s personal and religious perspective. Readers should treat it as her account and faith-based guidance, not as a court record.
What Does Beth Shuey Do Now?
Beth’s public work centers on Beautiful Ashes Ministries. The organization promotes retreats, events, speaking, and Christian resources for women seeking healing and spiritual renewal.
Moreover, Beth and Victor Fadool expanded the book through the Beautiful Ashes podcast series. Its episodes discuss prayer, family, community, healing, and mission through the framework developed in the book.
The ministry’s official site continued publishing event and retreat material in 2026. That active public presence is also strong evidence that the 2025 obituary concerns someone else.
Public sources do not establish every commercial or professional activity Beth may have. Still, “author and ministry founder” is more precise than the vague “businesswoman” label used by many biography sites.
How Is Beth Shuey Portrayed in Home Team?
Jackie Sandler plays Beth in the 2022 Netflix sports comedy Home Team. Kevin James portrays Sean Payton, while Tait Blum plays their son Connor.
Netflix’s true-story explainer confirms that the Beth character is based on Payton’s real former wife. However, the movie changes and compresses parts of the story for comedy.
For example, Rob Schneider plays Beth’s husband Jamie during the 2012 storyline. The real Beth reportedly married Jamie McGuire in 2020, so viewers should not use the film to date the relationship.
The movie does accurately draw from Payton’s season helping with Connor’s youth football team during his NFL suspension. Nevertheless, it remains a dramatization rather than a documentary.
How Old Is Beth Shuey?
Beth’s exact age is not reliably verified. Many online profiles report a 1968 birth year, but the available authoritative sources do not confirm a full birth date.
If 1968 is correct, she would be 57 or 58 during 2026, depending on whether her birthday had occurred. Therefore, an article should not state one exact age without a dependable birthday source.
This uncertainty also exposes a common content-copying problem. Several sites repeat the same year but calculate different ages, sometimes incorrectly.
What Is Beth Shuey’s Net Worth?
No authoritative financial source confirms Beth Shuey’s net worth. Online estimates range from roughly $1.5 million to $5 million, yet they do not provide audited records or a public asset statement.
Moreover, Sean Payton’s earnings do not establish his former wife’s finances. The private divorce terms, Beth’s book revenue, ministry finances, property interests, debts, and other assets are not fully public.
Consequently, “not publicly verified” is the accurate answer. A guessed dollar figure would create precision without evidence.

Beth Shuey Timeline
| Year | Event |
| Around 1990 | Beth meets Sean Payton at Indiana State University |
| 1992 | Beth and Sean marry |
| 1997 | Daughter Meghan Payton is born |
| 2000 | Son Connor Payton is born |
| 2006 | Payton becomes New Orleans Saints head coach |
| 2010 | The family celebrates the Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV victory |
| 2012 | Sean files for divorce; Beth counterfiles later that month |
| 2012 | Payton helps coach Connor’s youth football team |
| 2014 | The divorce becomes final |
| 2020 | Beth marries Jamie McGuire, according to widely reported accounts |
| 2022 | Netflix releases Home Team |
| 2022 | Beth and Victor Fadool publish Beautiful Ashes |
| 2022–2023 | The authors release the Beautiful Ashes podcast |
| 2026 | Beautiful Ashes Ministries continues promoting retreats and events |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Beth Shuey?
Beth Shuey McGuire is Sean Payton’s former wife and the mother of Meghan and Connor Payton. Moreover, she is the co-author of Beautiful Ashes and founder of a Christian healing ministry.
2. Did Beth Shuey die in 2025?
No reliable source reports that Beth Shuey McGuire died. The 2025 obituary concerns Elisabeth Lynne Smith, a different Beth Shuey from Charlotte.
3. How old is Beth Shuey?
Her exact age is not reliably verified. Although many sites report 1968 as her birth year, no authoritative source reviewed confirms her complete date of birth.
4. How did Beth Shuey meet Sean Payton?
They met at Indiana State University around 1990, when Payton worked on the football coaching staff. Later, they married in 1992.
5. When were Beth Shuey and Sean Payton married?
July 11, 1992, is the consistently reported wedding date. Sean filed for divorce in 2012, and the divorce became final in 2014.
6. Who are Beth Shuey’s children?
Her children with Sean Payton are Meghan Payton, born in 1997, and Connor Payton, born in 2000. Both have pursued interests connected to sports and media.
7. Who filed for divorce?
Sean Payton filed the initial petition on June 14, 2012. Beth then submitted a counterpetition on June 26.
8. Who is Beth Shuey’s husband now?
Beth’s official 2022 author biography identifies Jamie McGuire as her husband. In addition, multiple reports place their wedding on September 20, 2020.
9. Who plays Beth Shuey in Home Team?
Jackie Sandler plays Beth in the Netflix film. However, the character and family timeline include fictionalized or compressed details.
10. What is Beth Shuey’s net worth?
Her net worth is not publicly verified. Consequently, the conflicting figures on biography and wealth sites should be treated as speculation.
Conclusion
Beth Shuey is Sean Payton’s former wife, but her verified story now extends into authorship, podcasting, church care, and Beautiful Ashes Ministries. She and Payton share two children, and their 2012 filings led to a final divorce in 2014.
Most importantly, Beth Shuey McGuire is not the Charlotte realtor named in the 2025 obituary. Reliable evidence also does not establish her exact age, divorce settlement, custody terms, or net worth, so those details should remain clearly qualified.


