Eugene Layerd

Obituary of Eugene LayerdEugene Victor Layerd, 94, of Ocala, entered the arms of his Loving Heavenly Father on Tuesday Oct. 6, 2015. He was born on Sept. 15, 1921 in Monongahela, PA to John C. Layerd (Janos Kteles) and Katherine (Katalin) Soltesz whose families immigrated through Ellis Island from Hungary and settled in the Pittsburgh area. In 1932, Gene moved from California, PA to Quincy, FL with his parents, older brother Johnny and younger sister Violet. He graduated from Gadsden County High School in 1941. In February of 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served his country as an airplane mechanic in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater during WWII. Upon his discharge in 1945, he attended Emory University in Atlanta and became a dental laboratory technician in Tallahassee, FL. It was there that he met and married Helen Marjorie Matson of Tallahassee on Feb. 7, 1948. In 1951, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served 20 years before retiring and moving with wife Helen and daughters Karla Jean and Lori Janell to Hollywood, FL in 1968. He then began working in property acquisition for Broward County, FL. In 1983, he retired from Broward County and moved to Ocala, FL where he remained until his death.He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Ocala for many years and volunteered on the Florida Baptist disaster response team. He was also a member of the Ham radio club as N4QFA. In 2008, he celebrated his 87th birthday by visiting Hungary on a quest to trace his Hungarian heritage. In fulfillment of that quest, he was able to find and meet Zoltán Kteles, a distant cousin, in Budapest. He loved his family and will be remembered for his exuberant smile and happy spirit. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Helen, daughters Karla (Ron) Moose of Plantation, FL, and Lori (Steve) Hunter of Candler, FL. In addition, he was blessed with 4 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Karen (Matt) Cochrane of Plantation, FL with James, Rebekah, Anna and Gideon. Ryan (Megan) Moose of Port St. Lucie, FL with sons William and Andrew. Eric (Heather) Hunter of Winter Garden, FL with Garrett, Bayleigh, Hannah and Caleb. Luke C. Hunter of Miami, FL.A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, at 2 PM with a visitation one hour prior at Roberts Bruce Funeral Home East (2739 SE Maricamp Rd. Ocala FL 34471). Burial will be at a later date in Bushnell, FL at the National Cemetery. Online condolences may be submitted by visiting the "Our Services" section at the bottom of the webpage www.robertsfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Interfaith Emergency Services (P.O. Box 992 Ocala, FL 34478) or First Baptist Church of Ocala (2801 SE Maricamp Rd. Ocala, FL 34471).

Eugene Layerd

September 15, 1921 - October 6, 2015