David Ross LAYTON

DAVID ROSS LAYTON December 13, 1956 - April 24, 2018 Passed away peacefully at home at the age of 61 following a year-long fight with cancer. He was the loving husband of Carol Layton (nee Buchanan) and devoted father of Erin and Beth Layton. He is also survived by his mother, Doris Layton (nee Steeves); his sister, Nancy Layton (Joe Stairs); brother, Robert Layton (Sandra Smith); sister-in-law, Olivia Chow; father-in-law, Joseph Buchanan; and brother-in-law, Richard Buchanan (Diane Saunders). Dave was predeceased by his father, Robert Layton; his brother, Jack Layton; his mother-in-law, Constance Buchanan; and his brother-in-law, Michael Buchanan. Dave was born in Montreal and grew up in Hudson, Quebec. He attended Stanstead College in Quebec. Dave had his Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario (1984) and an undergraduate degree in Applied Geography from Ryerson University - for which he received the Gold Medal upon graduation in 1980 and was recognized with the Ryerson Alumni Award of Distinction in 2006. Dave enjoyed a life full of love and laughter. He adored his and his wife's many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He had an abundance of friends - dating back to his early years in Hudson, through Stanstead and later Toronto, including 40 years with his beloved Exboz softball team members. Dave was Vice President, Asset Management and Real Estate for the YMCA of Greater Toronto. His career at the Y spanned almost 10 years before which he had a 25-year career in corporate real estate with Loblaws, CIBC, CBRE and Markborough Properties (then a subsidiary of The Bay). As a volunteer Dave was devoted to inclusiveness for those with disabilities, inspired by his daughter Erin. Dave was president of Community Living Toronto (CLT) from 2013 to 2015 and recently received CLT's Jim Turner Award for Outstanding Volunteerism. He was a founding family member of the West Toronto KEYS to INclusion, that provides day programs for adults with intellectual disabilities. Dave was also a member of the Geography Department Advisory Council at Ryerson University and a long-time volunteer for the Out-of-the-Cold program at the All Saints Kingsway Church in Etobicoke. With the help of his colleagues and friends, the family will be hosting a celebration of life in June for Dave, with details to follow. In his memory, Dave's preference would be donations to the following: West Toronto KEYS to INclusion - Charitable Registration Number 80687 5894 RR0001; YMCA GTA - Charitable Registration Number 11930 7080 RR0001; or Community Living Toronto - Charitable Registration Number 10769 4143 RR0001.