Robert Granville “Bob” Layne passed away peacefully on March 8, 2018. He was born March 3, 1928 in Flat River, Missouri to Beatrice Stephens Layne and John Granville Layne, who predeceased him. His family moved to St. Louis in 1936, during the Great Depression when his father found employment there. He attended public schools, graduating Roosevelt High School in January, 1946. While At Roosevelt HS, he was a member of the Football and Track teams, and he was an All City League and All District Tackle on the 1945 City League and District Championship Football Team. He enrolled at St. Louis University that January on a Football scholarship, but he turned 18 on March 3, and was drafted on April 8 in the last call up in Eastern Missouri under the World War II Selective Service Act.
Bob served in the U.S. Army of Occupation in Seoul, Korea as an Athletic Instructor with the 27th Special Service Company, 24th Corps Headquarters. After separation from the Army, he attended and graduated Culver-Stockton College, Canton, MO in January, 1950. While at CS he was a member of the 1947 & ’48 Football teams, and he was a founding member of Beta Sigma Gamma Fraternity, which later became a local chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Upon graduation he entered the Property and Casualty insurance business and over the next 38 years served primarily in Branch and Regional management positions with Continental Casualty Co. and Great American Insurance Co. in Pittsburg, Dallas, Kansas City, Nashville and Cincinnati. He retired early in January, 1998 to spend more time on golf and travel. He was a long time member of Northwest Georgia Senior Ass’n., a founding member of Chattahoochee Men’s Golf Ass’n and of American Legion Paul E. Bolding Post 7. He was of the Presbyterian faith.
He is survived by the love of his life and best friend and wife of 61 years, Brenda Kopf Layne, Gainesville; son and daughter-in-law, Howard Granville and Amanda Brown Layne, Fernandina Beach, FL; brother and sister-in-law, Jack R. and Jean Layne, Panama City, FL; nephew, Dr. J. Randal Layne, Rochester, PA, and his little buddy, Frisky, the Wire-Haired “Terrorist”. Brenda and Bob met on a blind date in August, 1955, were engaged in November and married at Lakeshore Presbyterian church on April 21, 1956. During retirement, they visited the U.K. 17 times on Holiday.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 from 1:00-3:00pm at Memorial Park Funeral Home. The family requests that in lieu of flowers gifts be made to American Heart Ass’n.
Memorial Park Funeral Home, 2030 Memorial Park Road, Gainesville, GA 30504 is in charge of arrangements.
Send online condolences to www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com
