Mendenhall
Funeral Home
Tutor Funeral Home
Visitation
Monday, January 6, 2025, Tutor Funeral Home, Mendenhall, MS, 5- 8 p.m.
Service
Tuesday, January 7, 2025, First Baptist Church, Mendenhall, MS
Obituary
Military Service Tribute, Honors, and Obituary:
Recognizing and Honoring a Fallen Hero, Who Served Within the Mississippi National Guard. “Fallen, Yet Not Forgotten”.
In recognition of our proud American tradition of honorable service which our military men and women have given to their country and our State, we honor a Fallen Hero. Our nation, our state, and the National Guard Association of MS (NGAMS) regard the memorializing of its retired military deceased as an honorable and sacred obligation.
Another great Soldier and Fallen Hero has been released from duty, passed from our ranks on Jan 4, 2025 and has moved on to his heavenly home. Retired First Sergeant Joseph Thomas “Tom” Layton, Sr., age 89, who had served within the MSARNG within the 106th Support Battalion, 155th Armored Brigade has departed and gone to a better place with our good Lord.
It takes a special person to serve within the military for their country, giving up their family time, comfort, and safety for their country, ultimately for all Americans to enjoy their freedoms, safety, and way of life. We now applaud you for your service to our country. A special message from General Douglas McArthur remains applicable today for our servicemen that have passed: “Old Soldiers never die; they just fade away”.
Rest in Peace Soldier. We applaud your patriotism, sacrifices, and brave efforts in serving our country and your family for their support of your service. We thank you for your service. Without your efforts and your families’ support, our country would not stand so boldly, shine so bright, and live so free.
You now have earned a rest, so go fly with the Angels, go rest high on that mountain; your work on earth is done. Go to heaven a-shoutin’ Love for the Father and the Son.
Another great Soldier has gone home,O “Fallen, Yet Not Forgotten, Soldier for Life”.
Obituary, visitation, and services:
Joseph Thomas (Tom) Layton, Sr., 89, passed away on Saturday morning, January 4, 2025, with his four loving children by his side. He was born April 6, 1935, in Mendenhall, MS, to the late Clarence “Pop” Layton and the late Loree (Rankin) Layton.
Tom was a graduate of Mendenhall High School, Class of 1953, where his diamond and gridiron achievements earned him athletic scholarships to Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Mississippi College, graduating in 1957 with a BA degree. While supporting a growing family, Tom attended night school and earned his MA degree from The University of Southern Mississippi in 1975. Tom retired in 1997 after a 40-year career as a faithful teacher, coach, and administrator at public and private schools in Mt. Olive, Fayette, Pinola, Topeka-Tilton, and Monticello, and also served as an agent for Simpson County Farm Bureau Insurance. Simultaneous with his career as an educator, Tom served 27 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard and attained the rank of First Sergeant. Tom was ordained as a deacon at Topeka Baptist Church in the early 1970s and, in 1977, returned home to Mendenhall to be near his aging parents. Tom was a member of First Baptist Church of Mendenhall, where he served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher for over 45 years.
In addition to his professional career, Tom served his community in numerous volunteer efforts, including the Mendenhall Cemetery Association, the annual Memorial Day festivities, and working at polling stations during election season. Tom compiled an extensive collection of photographs and stories honoring Simpson County military veterans and, in 2010, was named Mendenhall’s Most Outstanding Citizen.
He is survived by his sons, Joseph Thomas Layton, Jr. (Diane) and Christopher John Layton (Christen), and daughters, Ellen Virginia Layton Taylor (Alex) and Leah Loree Layton, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his cherished wife of 56 years, Jane Ellen Crabdree Layton, his parents, and his brother John Howard Layton.
Visitation will be Monday, January 6, 2025, at Tutor Funeral Home in Mendenhall, MS, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Services will be at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at First Baptist Church in Mendenhall with 2 hours of visitation prior to the service. Reverend Rodney Anderson of Dothan, AL, will officiate. Interment will follow in Mendenhall City Cemetery.