Ruth Page Layton, 97, a resident of Summit Hills in Spartanburg, SC, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2020, at Spartanburg Regional Hospice House.  She was born December 29, 1922, in Washington, Indiana to the late Irene Wallace Page and Leslie Whitsit Page.  Ruth was 8 years old when she and her parents moved to Detroit Michigan where her father established Page Tile Company.  Ruth was a graduate of Highland Park High School and afterward attended The Art School of the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts, now known as The College of Creative Studies (CCS). Subsequently, she was employed at Great West Life Insurance Company until she married the love of her life, James (Jimmie) Aubrey Layton (deceased) on June 12, 1946, at First Presbyterian Church, Detroit.  The minister, Dr. Fred Olert's advice to the newlyweds was "Each for the other, Both for God".

Jimmy brought his new bride to his home in Georgia where she gracefully made a smooth transition into happy southern living.  Having been an only child, she always thought that one of her greatest life's blessings was to have inherited Jimmie's other five brothers and their wives as her beloved brothers and sisters.  Ruth and Jimmie together established their International Harvester Dealership in Dublin, Georgia, which they successfully managed until their retirement.  Ruth was a member of First Baptist Church and the Winsome Sunday School class.  She was a charter member of The Pilot Club and also served First Baptist as church hostess for 28 years.  Ruth was blessed with the gift of hospitality and was honored at her retirement with the establishment of "The Hands of Ruth" ---a ministry that provides a beautiful seated meal to families following a loved one's funeral service.

Ruth is survived by her daughter, Margaret Layton Nixon (George), and son, John L Layton (Kathy);  Grandchildren, Edward (Scott) Jones Jr (Jill) of Spartanburg, SC and Page Jones Baehr (Lamar) of Inman, SC, John Allen Layton of Smyrna, Ga, John Preston Nixon (Renee) of Asheville, NC and Benjamin Russell Nixon (Hayley) of Spartanburg, SC, Summer Bailey (Matt), of Valdosta Georgia, Joseph Ryan Spears of Michie, Tennessee,  Jason Spears (Lorna)of Austin, Texas. Great-grandchildren Layton Miles Davis, Asa James Davis, Ratchford (Ford) Lee Baehr, Makayla Durham, Riley Durham, Elizabeth Groves Jones, Joshua Edward Jones,  Ryder Bailey, Rush Bailey, June Spears, and Pearl Spears.

Ruth cherished her family beyond words and never failed to show that love to each and every one.

One of her favorite love stories that she liked to share was how she met her husband, Jimmie.  While she was working at Great Life Insurance in Detroit, Ruth decided one day to choose Jimmie Layton's name from a list of servicemens' names published in the Detroit Free Press for the purpose of writing to them during their World War II service to our country in order to help boost the morale of the troops.  She obviously did a great job, because after three years of letter exchange between the two, when honorably discharged from his service in the Panama Canal Zone, he took the train to Detroit in December to meet his future bride.  They married the following June and had a wonderful life together for the next 69 years.

Ruth made a decision to Move to Summit Hills over three years ago, and she has had such a rich life there amongst a loving staff and cherished dear friends.  She wants you to know just how special each and every one of you was to her.  She found a new independence there in her apartment where she could still do the things she loved—talking to everyone, cooking, playing cards with her friends, attend the movies, play jeopardy—in other words, she signed up for everything!

Ruth and her family send very heartfelt special love to her dear friend and caregiver Mamie Smith, one of God's true saints on earth.

A family graveside service will be held on Saturday, October 31, 2020, at Dublin Memorial Gardens.  A celebration of Ruth's life will be held at a future date.  Memorials may be made to The Hands of Ruth or to The First Baptist Church Library, both at 405 Bellevue Avenue, Dublin, Georgia  31021