Martha Ann Layman's Obituary
Martha Ann Layman, 93, a long-time resident of Germantown and Memphis, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 11, 2016. Family and friends are invited to gather beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home prior to graveside services at 2:30 p.m. in Memorial Park Cemetery on Thursday, September 15. Ann, as she was known to all her friends, was born in Three Rivers, Texas, on February 24, 1923 and grew up in the San Antonio area. Ann attended several years of college at the University of Texas Austin, but met, fell in love with and married Bill Layman just after World War II broke out. Over the next 10 years, she and Bill had 2 sons, and Ann taught kindergarten in a number of San Antonio schools. Also, during the early 1950s, Ann went back to school and graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio with a degree in History. With Bill’s assignment of a wider geographic area for sales of agricultural equipment that included the Carolinas, the couple moved the family to a more central location—Memphis. In the mid-60s, Bill and Ann’s entrepreneurial spirit took hold and they decided to open a small, retail shop in East Memphis that stocked high-quality, unusual toys, games and gifts imported from all over the world. Layman’s Games, as it was known, became the premier toy and gift shop in the mid-South for well over 25 years. In addition to Layman’s Games, Ann also operated a decorative gift and accessory shop for many years on Poplar Avenue, called the Blair House. Both Bill and Ann were long-time members of the First Baptist Church of Memphis. A devout Christian, Ann loved the Bible and its teachings, and continuously shared her faith and love of the Good News as a Sunday School teacher and through her infectious smile and friendly personality with whomever she came in contact. Ann is predeceased by Bill, her loving husband of 61 years, who passed away in March 2002. She is survived by her two sons, W.E. (Bill) Layman Jr. of Memphis and Dr. Thomas (Tommy) A. Layman of Hillsborough, CA; four grandchildren, Kristin Layman Norwood and Micah Layman who live in Memphis, Andrew Layman of San Luis Obispo, CA and Evan Layman of San Francisco, CA. Ann is also survived by her closest niece, Feliss Walton Bell, who lives in Dallas, TX with her husband, Jim and family, as well as nieces Sandra Smith, Sue Smith, Sharon Smith and nephew Ray Smith of Southern CA. Memorials may be made reflecting Ann’s love of the Lord to the First Baptist Church, 200 E Pkwy N, Memphis, TN 38112. Funeral Arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, “Celebrating Life Behind the Stone Wall”. .
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