Lavelle Layfield

October 28, 1931 - May 30, 2020

Lavelle Layfield, 88, a longtime resident of Athens, died Saturday evening at his home.

Visitation will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Malakoff Church of Christ, immediately prior to the service at 2 p.m., with John Layfield officiating. Burial will be in Prairie Point Cemetery in Bazette. He was preceded in death by his parents, Tom and Tillie Layfield of Kerens, and brothers Thomas Earl Layfield of Kerens and Doyle Layfield of Athens.

Lavelle is survived by his wife of 63 years, Mary, of Athens; two sons, Paul Layfield of Athens and John Layfield and his wife, Meredith, of Bethesda, Maryland; one daughter, Sylvia Sims of McKinney; three grandchildren, Luke Sims of Midland, Leigh Ann Williams and her husband, Conner, of Edmond, Oklahoma, and Laura Lynn Sims of McKinney; and two great-grandsons, Oliver and Pierce Lavelle Williams of Edmond.

Pallbearers will be Tom Sheram, Mike Collins, Luke Sims, Conner Williams, Bob Spears and Paul Layfield. Honorary pallbearers will be Charles Jenkins, Dick Davis, John Lyons, and the elders of the Malakoff Church of Christ.

Mr. Layfield was born October 28, 1931 at Powell and lived in Kerens until 1955. His mother wanted him to become a preacher and he honored her wishes throughout his life. Lavelle began preaching at Malakoff and Cayuga as a teenager and continued until he left for Abilene Christian College in the fall of 1955. At ACC, he majored in Greek and minored in Bible, planning to be a missionary. He continued to preach, teach, and serve the Lord throughout his life, at whatever location he was in.

Lavelle was a member of the National Guard for several years, then joined the 490th CA Army reserve as a Captain, being called up for active duty during the Berlin crisis. He was stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia.

He was a lifelong supporter of Abilene Christian University, serving on the Board of Trustees for several years and teaching a finance class there for two semesters in the early 1980's. In 2018, he was honored by the Purple Line.

As a banker, Lavelle worked at First State Bank in Abilene, organizing and developing the trust department. He was vice president in 1974 before moving to Sweetwater to become president of Texas Bank and Trust Company. In Sweetwater, he was named Sweetwater Outstanding Citizen in 1983. He was a member and president of the Sweetwater Rotary Club, leading the singing for the club.

In 1985, Lavelle moved to Athens to become the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of First National Bank. He was chairman of the Athens Economic Development Corporation (1992), an entity responsible for bringing industry to Athens. He served terms on the Henderson County Appraisal District board and was Chairman of the Board of the Cain Center. He was a member of Athens Rotary Club, serving as president, becoming a Paul Harris Fellow, and later was named Athens Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 1992.

When he retired from the banking business in 1995, Lavelle returned full-time to his first love, preaching and doing the work of the Lord. He wrote articles for an internet Bible program, taught World Bible School, and taught Bible at the local jail. In 2002, he returned to Malakoff Church of Christ as the pulpit minister and radio sermon minister, retiring in 2017.

Lavelle will be remembered for being a faithful student of the Bible and a leader in the church. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and friend. His example was evident to all who met him. We will miss him.