Vickie Lynn Gilmore Layton

As a former antique dealer, business owner, and talented writer, she always had a keen eye for taste, and an inherent ability to put pen to paper in incredible ways that still make people smile.

American writer E.B. White said, “Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.” This could not be more true for Vickie. In addition to having a natural love of writing, she attended a Billy Graham-focused Christian writing school program at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minnesota after graduating from Southeast Guilford High School. There, she honed her skills and began writing from the heart in ways that shared the Christian faith and God’s love. Composing her words in genuine, caring ways, several of her works were published over the years, bringing love and light to others.

Her trials are now over, and she is able to write as much as she wants in a place of peace while searching for that next great antique treasure.

Vickie was the daughter of the late Lorene Hudson Staley Gilmore (lovingly known as “Aunt Jo”) and Glenn Gordon Gilmore, Jr. (known as “G.G.”), and sister to the late Bonnie Sue Gilmore Klinker. She joins them in Heaven, along with many other family members who have gone on before her.

She is survived by: daughter Lana Layton and her partner, Scott, of Clayton; Lana’s father Joel Layton and his partner, Shelly, of Liberty; brother-in-law Dwight Klinker and wife, Susan, of Ohio; niece Heather Klinker Waits of Ohio; niece Cheryl Klinker and partner, Mike, of Ohio; two great nieces, Abby and Maddie Waits, of Ohio; and many loving family members and friends.

A graveside service to remember and honor Vickie’s life will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at Dr. Clyde M. Gilmore Memorial Park, 6500 Liberty Road, Julian, NC 27283, where she will be laid to rest.