Agnes May Layton's Obituary
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Agnes “May” Layton, a deeply loving mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, who passed away on May 2, 2026.
Born in Roosevelt, Utah, on August 4, 1951, May was the daughter of David Morillen Wilkerson and Emily Taylor Marchant Wilkerson. She grew up alongside six brothers and one sister. She graduated from Manti High School, where she especially loved history, reading, and learning. She later earned a scholarship to beauty college, became a licensed cosmetologist, and worked in the profession for several years before devoting herself fully to raising her family.
May shared 25 years of marriage with George Layton, and together they raised 13 children and built a large family that became the center of her world.
May devoted her life to caring for others. She was known for her resilience, independence, compassion, and a willingness to help anyone in need. To her family, she was the person who always showed up, making sure there was food on the table, a roof overhead, and a safe place for loved ones to land whenever life became difficult.
Her children remember her as a constant source of strength and support through every season of life. She stood beside her family through life’s hardest moments and offered steady love, patience beyond measure, guidance, and light when it was needed most. Through her example, she showed her children what unconditional love, resilience, and compassion truly look like.
Her grandchildren knew May as warm, funny, sarcastic, and endlessly comforting. She spent much of her life loving and caring for her grandchildren. She babysat them, cooked for them, crocheted blankets, shared Dr Pepper and junk food, watched Charmed, Family Guy, Garfield and poker tournaments, and turned ordinary moments into cherished memories. Whether she was sneaking treats to the grandkids, teaching them how to cook, or giving hugs she jokingly pretended not to want to give, May made everyone around her feel safe, accepted, and deeply loved.
May enjoyed gardening, sewing, crocheting, cooking simple meals for the people she loved, and writing. She had a deep love of reading and could often be found with a book in hand. In the kitchen, she was truly a magician, able to create delicious meals out of whatever she had, even when it didn’t seem like there was much to work with. She often joked that her garden was “the size of a child’s sandbox,” but it brought her joy nonetheless. Through her love of gardening, she passed down an appreciation for growing things to her children and grandchildren, creating traditions and memories that will continue for generations.
In her own words, she believed “the important part is persistence.” She carried that belief throughout her life and met hardships with determination and grace.
Above all else, May will be remembered for her selflessness. She gave endlessly of herself to her family without asking for recognition in return. Her wisdom, humor, strength, and unconditional love shaped generations of children and grandchildren who will continue carrying her memory forward.
May was preceded in death by her beloved daughter, Catherine Marie Gorman, in 2016; her parents, David Morillen Wilkerson and Emily Taylor Marchant Wilkerson; her brother, Elmo Lamar Wilkerson; her brother-in-law, Edwin A. Casper; and her sisters-in-law, Toni and Frena.
May is survived by her children: George Howard Layton; Clarence Benjamin Layton; Christopher James Layton; Samantha Dawn Heath; David Jarman Layton; Pamela Jean Aycock; Vicki-Lyn Layton; William M. Layton; Steven Layton; John Michael Layton; Andrew Taylor Layton; and Sarah Elizabeth Hughes; 43 grandchildren and great-grandchildren; her siblings, Leslie DeVere Wilkerson, Lynn Rowland Wilkerson, Phillip William Wilkerson, Verl Gary Wilkerson, Robert Wallace Wilkerson, and Davily June Casper; extended family members; and many loved ones whose lives are better because she was part of them.
A celebration of life for May will be held at Premier Funeral Services, 5335 S 1950 W, Roy, Utah 84067, on June 19th at 5:00 p.m.
Though her family already misses her deeply, they find comfort in knowing that her love remains part of their everyday lives, in shared meals, fresh baked bread, handmade blankets, inside jokes, acts of kindness, gardens lovingly tended, and the countless memories she leaves behind.
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