Dennis A. Layton

Dennis A. Layton, age 73, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, entered his eternal home in heaven to forever be with the Lord on August 11, 2023, following complications of a recent stroke.

Born in South River, NJ, Dennis grew up attending Tabernacle Baptist Church of South River and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 12 at an old tent revival meeting hosted by his church. He graduated from South River High School in 1968 and attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC, from 1968 – 1973, graduating with a Bachelors of Arts degree in education. It was there that he met the love of his life, Linda Lunsford, of Cincinnati, Ohio. They were married on August 11, 1973, and were blessed with 50 incredible years together before he went home to heaven on their 50^th wedding anniversary, August 11, 2023.

Dennis served the Lord in full-time ministry for 47 years starting out as a physical education teacher and coach, later going on to teach history, geography, Bible, math, and speech. He completed a master’s degree in Christian education from Antietam Bible College in 1986. He transitioned from teaching to serving as a Christian school administrator from 1988 – 2009 at various Christian schools in the mid-Atlantic region. He enjoyed retirement teaching part-time at The Talmudical Academy and Arlington Baptist School. A stroke in 2019 caused him to put teaching on hold for a while, but he returned to the classroom part-time in the fall of 2021, teaching at Hope Christian School of Hanover, PA, up until the time of his home going.

Dennis was a lifelong sports enthusiast rooting for the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Eagles, Penn State and Notre Dame football teams. He played basketball and football in high school and intramural basketball, softball, and tennis in college. He coached soccer, basketball, and softball teams during his career. He also officiated high school football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and softball games in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Dennis had a huge sense of humor and loved to make people laugh. He could always be counted on to lighten the mood and put people at ease.  

The most important thing in life to Dennis was sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and His power to change lives. He would want nothing more than for his life to be a legacy and reminder that there’s nothing more important than having a personal relationship with Jesus and serving Him with one’s whole heart.

Dennis was a devoted son, brother, husband, and father. He is survived by his wife Linda; his daughters Kimberly and Kelly Layton; his brother James (Stephanie) Layton; his sister-in-law June (Mike) Baker; and his sister-in-law Sandie Romans. He was preceded in death by his parents Rev. William Layton and Gertrude (Wines) Layton, his sister Donna (Layton) Beans, and brother-in-law Ricky Beans.

Please join Dennis’ family in celebrating his life on Saturday, August 19, 2023.

A visitation hour will begin at 10 AM at Hope Baptist Church 6450 Hope way, Hanover, PA, 17331. Service will begin at the church at 11 AM.

A graveside service will follow at 3:30 PM at Broadfording Church cemetery located at 13523 Broadfording Church Rd, Hagerstown, MD, 21740.

Dennis wanted his celebration of life service to be a joyous occasion. In light of that, feel free to wear bright colors.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Hope Christian School’s bus fund project as a way of continuing Dennis’ ministry to his students. Contact Hope Christian School at: hcs.secretary@hcsofhanover.org. Make checks payable to “Hope Christian School,” memo line: Bus fund – Dennis Layton memory.