Jill Layton

She was born in Union Pa. Raised by loving grandparents and her mother. She met and married Jack Murdock and had two perfect children: Wendy and Sean, and who are we to disagree! Eventually as life has many surprises, she was left with 2 children to raise on her own! In typical Jill fashion she pushed harder and worked 2 jobs. During this period she met Orville Donathan and they married. She was blessed with 2 step sons Norman and Rodney Donathan, her life was full of kids, work, camping, boating, dancing, plus being the best mom and wife possible.

Once again life threw in a few curve balls and once again Jill was single with grown kids or almost, one was working and one was a teenager.

This is when life got great for mom. She started working at Mr. T's restaurant, her favorite coffee shop, for years. It was there she met her friends for life! Wow, and what a time they had; Mom, Kay, Martha and occasionally Shirley and Delores. But the 3 amigos as I called them were a force to be reckoned with! Now these ladies couldn't have Jill without a good man in her life, although she didn't see the need. But in the usual fashion of her friends, they set her up, and in walks Dick Layton at Mr. T's. Now that was a surprise.

Those two friends, Kay and Martha knew that this was going to be the love of her life! Much to her surprise Dick was the man of her dreams and the love of her life. And wow what a life they had; good times, hard times, sad times, but through it all they had love, friends, and family. Mom and Dick (Roo as we call him) had adventures a plenty.

Mom and Dick finally found the house of their dreams and settled down in a little neighborhood that adopted them and while there made even more friends. Then, as life happens, Mom and Dick got ill, and again, friends and neighbors were there for them. Sadly, they had to say goodbye to all they loved in Mansfield and move to Columbus for her last journey! Not what mom wanted, but in typical mom fashion she did it and she didn't do it quietly I can tell you. Eventually she found her daughters friends were pretty cool too; like mother like daughter she would say. In the end we were blessed with the best next-door neighbors anyone could ask for, Martha and Alex.

Mom's time in Columbus was filled with hospitals, doctors and tests. She didn't want her life to be defined by her illness, nope, not mom. She fought her illnesses, not with grace but with a bullheaded determination and the rallying cry "Not today"!!! In the end her body just got too tired. Mom left us to soon but I think we all say that about our moms. Mom had big expectations for herself and her children, she wanted us to be happy and to stand on our own two feet and not let life knock them down and when it does to get back up dust yourself off and get on with it.

Now to you Mom, thank you, for the love, the blind faith you have in us, for being there for some of the hardest times in our lives; never wavering with your belief in us. Last, but not least, for being there to share in all our successes and our joys. You have been beside us the whole way, holding our hands, being our friend, our confidant and being the best mom you could be - THANK YOU!

So to Jill, our mom and wife to Dickaroo, here's to you:

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, (I know, much to your chagrin) but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, TOTALLY worn out and LOUDLY proclaiming…WOW! What a Ride!

"This is the day the Lord has made rejoice and be glad"

Due to COVID-19, the Celebration of Life will cancelled and will be held at a later date.