Audrey Elizabeth Layton Ford

Audrey Ford, of Bethesda, Maryland, passed away peacefully on July 2,2023. Audrey was born in NewYork City, the second daughter of Wm. Monroe Layton and Freda (nee Lasse) Layton.  As her father launched various business ventures, the family moved around to Illinois, Arkansas, and eventually Texas.  

Audrey finished high school in Marion, South Carolina, and then spent one year at Columbia College for Women in South Carolina before returning to Brownsville, Texas. 

She met her husband, Gary Eugene Ford, when he was enrolled at the U.S. Air Force Officer Candidate School in Harlingen, Texas.  They were married on January 2, 1958 and the marriage endured for almost 60 years before Gary’s death in December 2017.

During Gary’s Air Force service, she lived in Mississippi, Guam and northern Michigan and then later in Sumter, South Carolina.  When Gary died, Audrey moved to Maryland and was living at the Cedar Glen assisted living home at the time of her death.

Audrey is survived by her four children:  Leslie (Michael) Weber, Erik (Sharon) Ford, Laurie (Michael) Lumish and Danika (Warren Como) Ford.  She was the much-loved grandmother of Katherine and Brian Weber, and Keira, Faith and Gemma Ford.  She was also blessed to be the sister of Joan Gerusa, Marilyn Ellerbe, Manette Thomas, Bonnie Wolfe and Margaret Layton who all survive her.

Audrey loved being near the water, the Kentucky Derby, British drama and mystery series on PBS, roses, ice cream and a nice glass of wine with dinner.  She was curious about the world, tried to keep up with current events, and always voted.  She faced many challenges in life with stoicism and graceful acceptance and a willingness to keep moving. In the later years of her life, she prayed for and was finally granted the wish to be with Gary again. 

There will be a Service of Thanksgiving on Friday, July 14, at 6 pm in the parlor at Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ, 1 Westmoreland Circle, in Bethesda, Maryland.  A private internment at the National Military Cemetery in Catonsville, Maryland will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County (Maryland): https://www.folmc.org/