Betty Ileene Laymon

Betty Ileene (Hahn) Laymon, age 97, of Grapevine, Texas, went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 20, 2022. Betty was born on August 19, 1925, to Lewis and Esther (Schmutz) Hahn in Moscow, Iowa, Muscatine County. Her birth took place in the home of the family farm that her great-grandfather homesteaded in 1851 after he and his family emigrated from Bavaria, Germany. The farm was in the family until 1936. At that time, Betty’s father purchased a farm in Rose Hill near Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Farm life brought a lot of responsibility to Betty and her siblings, Don, Marjorie, and Lois. Her parents were wonderful Christians and active in the Peace Evangelical Church in their neighborhood. Betty loved church and gave her heart to the Lord at age eight, which became the foundation of her faith throughout her life. Music was a favorite pastime of the family. Her dad spent a lot of time teaching and practicing church hymns with the family. The Hahn sister trio, which included Betty and her two sisters, was soon established. Her mother, Esther, was the accompanist for the trio. They giggled often in practice, and their dad would attempt to settle them down only to make matters worse. They sang often at church, family gatherings, and neighborhood fellowships.

Betty graduated from Lacey High School in 1943 as valedictorian of her class. She was a left-handed guard on the school’s basketball team and was given state honors. She also played the piano for the glee club. In 1947, she graduated from William Penn College with a BA degree in Business. She taught typing, shorthand, bookkeeping, and business English at Williamsburg, Iowa High School. She was honored as Teacher of the Year in 1950. Betty loved her students and became a mentor to many of them.

In June of 1950, Betty met the love of her life, Riley Laymon, when he came to Oskaloosa to visit friends. Their romance blossomed and they married on June 12, 1951, at the Oskaloosa, Iowa Church of the Nazarene. They celebrated 70 years of marriage together prior to Riley’s death in November 2021. Their first home was Kansas City, Missouri, where Riley was enrolled in the Nazarene Theological Seminary. Betty continued her teaching career in Kansas City, Kansas, during these years.

Riley pastored churches in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, and Kentucky from 1953 to 1991. Betty was a supportive wife and wonderful mother to their three sons, Steve, Ken, and Jim. Their home was filled with much laughter, fun, and happiness as the boys were growing up. As a pastor’s wife, Betty was involved in ministries of the churches in which Riley served. She played piano and organ as needed in most of these churches, taught Sunday School classes, and served as secretary in the church office as the need occurred. Her superb cooking skills and ability to host large and small groups were a great asset as she hosted dinners for church families, denominational leaders, and missionaries in their home.

Betty was active in the mission organizations of the churches and districts in which she and Riley served. She was awarded a “Distinguished Service Award” by the Kentucky District of the Church of the Nazarene in 1985 for 28 years of service in many areas, including president in Kentucky, secretary in Kansas City, and treasurer in Illinois.

Following Riley’s retirement from fulltime pastoring in 1991, they moved to Nashville, Tennessee where they lived for 24 years. During these years, they traveled as itinerant evangelists and supervised the Ministry of Hope, a ministry to homeless individuals supported by the First Church of the Nazarene in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2015, Riley and Betty relocated to Lewisville, Texas, to be closer to their sons. After Riley’s death in 2021, Betty moved to Atria Senior Living in Grapevine, Texas, and resided there until her death.

Betty is survived by her sons Stephen Laymon of Friendswood, Texas, Kenneth (Beverly) Laymon of Grapevine, Texas, and James (Debbie) Laymon of Euless, Texas; grandchildren Kristen (Andrew) Lucas of Meridian, Idaho, Kendra Laymon of La Vergne, Tennessee, Matthew (Holli) Laymon of Zephyrhills, Florida, Kyle (Katie Jo) Laymon of Englewood, Colorado, Michael (Kris) Laymon of Sherman Oaks, California, and Katie Laymon of North Richland Hills, Texas; great-grandchildren Noah Laymon, Jonah Laymon, Asher Laymon, Lyric Howlett, Sydney Lucas, Duke Laymon, and Ryley Lucas; sister Lois Fearn of Vicksburg, Michigan. Betty is also survived by one nephew and five nieces.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband Riley Laymon, parents Lewis and Esther (Schmutz) Hahn, brother Donald Hahn, sister Marjorie (Hahn) Andrews, daughter-in-law Bonnie (Foley) Laymon, and great-granddaughter James Ivy Laymon.

A celebration of life will be held at 12:00 p.m. on January 6, 2023, at the Lucas Funeral Home, 700 West Wall Street, Grapevine, Texas. Visitation will be held at 11:00 a.m. prior to the celebration of life. A committal service will be conducted at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas, at 10:00 a.m. on January 9, 2023.