Kay Layton

Marilyn “Kay” Layton, 86, a loving wife, Mother, Grandmother, and friend died November 15, 2024, while at home in Derby, Kansas. Kay was born in Grant County, Oklahoma, west of Nash, on December 13, 1937 to Lester and Nellie Wayman Hutcheson. At nine months of age her family moved to a farm four and one- fourth miles west of Jet, Oklahoma where she was raised with her five sisters. Kay was number four after her oldest sister and a set of twins.

She graduated from Jet High School in 1955 and went on to Northwestern State Teachers College now Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva Oklahoma, earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Education.

It was at Northwestern where Kay met Orville Dean Canaan. They were married on July 8, 1957, in the United Methodist Church in Jet, Oklahoma. To this union, two daughters were born. Marcia Deann in 1960 and Diane Kay in 1962.

Kay was a lifelong educator. Her first teaching position was in Dacoma, Oklahoma for the 1959-1960 school year where she taught math and business along with reading and spelling to sixth and seventh graders.

In December of 1959 Orville accepted a position teaching science and coaching football in Woodward, Oklahoma. Since they had started a family and it was a long commute to Dacoma, Kay resigned her position after one semester and joined Orville in Woodward in January 1960.

In 1966 Kay and Orville moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma where Kay taught seventh, eighth, and ninth grade math while Orville was participating in an Academic Year Institute in Science.

Orville completed his Master’s degree in the summer of 1968 and accepted a position to teach science and serve as an assistant football coach at Campus High School in Haysville, Kansas. Kay was hired to teach mathematics to seventh graders at middle school. They remained in Haysville for the next ten years until 1979 when Orville accepted a position

as Principal of Ross Case High School in Fairfax, Oklahoma. Once again Kay was needed to teach seventh through ninth grade mathematics and high school business classes.

In 1984 Kay and Orville moved back to Kansas, where he opened a Portrait Studio and Custom Frame Shop in Derby and Kay was hired back by Haysville Middle School to teach mathematics, a position she left in 1979, and she taught for ten more years until she retired in 1996.

Kay is survived by her Husband, Don Layton of the home, her children, Marcia Hargrove and husband Jim of Stillwater Oklahoma, Diane Blaine and husband Mike of Haysville, Kansas; grandchildren, Stephen Blaine, Brian Blaine, Tori Boatman and husband, Wesley; great grandchild, Easton, brother in love, Bill Leonard, brother in love, Harlan Strait; sister, Carol Buller, sister, Cheryl and husband Rick George. Many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Preceded in eternal life by her husband of 53 years, Orville Canaan, her parents, Lester and Nellie Hutcheson, sisters Esther Marie, Lenora Lea Mead, Ila Mae Leonard, Lila Faye Strait; brother's in love, Charles Buller, and Tom Mead; nieces, Tessa Martin and Jan Spruill.

Kay touched the lives of many students both in her classroom and in the many activities she sponsored during her teaching career. She was an active member of the Woodlawn United Methodist Church, and the United Methodist women for many years, chairing and serving on many committees. She was a talented and competitive athlete and loved playing

high school basketball. She loved to play golf and was an avid bridge player, (anything competitive). She served for many years as queen bee of her Red Hat chapter RedHatsnks. She also enjoyed her Longaberger basket collection. Near the end of her teaching career, she became a Longaberger consultant and continued to sell Longaberger products for several years after her teaching retirement

After Orville’s death, Kay married Don Layton in 2013, a long-time friend from her years of teaching in the Haysville schools. Kay and Don made their home in Derby, enjoying their 11 years together with their families, many friends and Church family.

Kay was an extremely warm, considerate, empathetic mom, wife, grandma, great grandma and friend. She cared deeply how her students were progressing and developing as individuals, not just academically, but also personally and emotionally.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 pm Thursday, November 21, 2024 at Smith Mortuary, Derby, Kansas.

A funeral service to celebrate Kay’s life will be held at 10:00am Friday, November 22, 2024 at the Woodlawn United Methodist Church, Derby, Kansas

Graveside services and internment will be 3:00 pm Friday, November 22, 2024 at the Pleasant View Cemetery, Jet, Oklahoma.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Woodlawn United Methodist Church.