Mrytis married the love of her life, James Lawson Moore, on June 6, 1950. They were married for 64 years and were the parents of Gary Lawson Moore and Kathy Jean (Moore) Layfield. Together they created a home where the door was always open to family and friends.
Myrtis was a renowned cook, whose cakes were legendary. She and James were avid fishermen who could always be found on the Chattahoochee or the Backwaters during warm weather. When the freezer was overflowing, as it often was, Myrtis would invite family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy a fish fry with all the trimmings. Many evenings, after grace was said, with sweet sincerity, she would often add quietly, “I surely feel sorry for everyone who isn’t eating this well tonight.” So did everyone who sat at her table loaded with the bounty she had prepared.
Employed by Kiralfy’s as a bookkeeper for over 40 years, she was also a proficient and prolific crocheter who made hundreds of baby blankets and booties that are still treasured by their recipients. After retirement, for many years, she baked cakes weekly for the Ronald McDonald House and enjoyed preparing the Wednesday Night Suppers at Midland Methodist Church.
Above all else, Myrtis will be remembered for her loving heart and her wickedly sharp sense of humor. In the early days of her and James’s marriage, they invited many cousins into their home to live as they began their own independent lives. That continued throughout their marriage as their nieces and nephews grew up.
Myrtis and James loved fishing, visiting Panama City with their extended family, spending time with their grandchildren, visiting family in Tennessee, and most of all, spending time together with their cats, of whom Myrtis once said, “I love these cats as much as I loved my children when they were at home.”
James preceded Myrtis in death on February 15, 2014. She is survived by her son, Gary Lawson Moore (Connie); daughter, Kathy Jean Moore Layfield (Robert Little); her granddaughter, Cybil Moore; grandsons, Benjamin Layfield (Deborah Harding), Blake Layfield (Lindsey); and great-grandsons, Henry and Grady Layfield. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to remember Myrtis may consider a gift to Columbus Hospice in her memory.
