ROBERT BRUCE LAYNE

1945 - 2019

BRUCE LAYNE Robert "Bruce" Layne passed away peacefully March 8, 2019 after a decade long battle with Parkinsons. Bruce as he was known was born April 3, 1945, in Los Angeles. He was the second of four sons of Doctor Frank and Irene Layne. In 1954 the family moved to Las Vegas where he attended St Anne's Grammar School, Bishop Gorman High School and UNLV then known as Nevada Southern University. A gifted athlete, he was All-State in both football and baseball. He earned a full baseball scholarship to NSU where he obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Economics in 1969. In June of 1970 he married the love of his life and mother of their two sons, Sherry Borellis Layne. He began a career in insurance shortly thereafter initially at Marsh & McLennan in Los Angeles. In 1974 Cash, Sullivan & Cross recruited him to manage a Las Vegas office. By 1984, Bruce purchased the office and opened Layne & Associates, which became the largest privately-owned insurance company in Nevada. He sold the company in 2000 to Brown & Brown. Bruce remained active in multiple civic activities, particularly with those related to UNLV, where he sat on the Alumni Board of Directors and was the first Alum to be appointed to the UNLV Foundation Board and was subsequently named Emeritus. On February 15th this year, the new state of the art baseball scoreboard on the campus of UNLV was permanently named the Bruce Layne Scoreboard in recognition not only of his accomplishments as a player, who had a career batting average of .370, but also of his devotion to community service. He spoke at numerous schools about the power of positive thinking and actions as outlined in his book, "My Gift." Additionally, Bruce sat on the Boards of the Nevada Development Authority, Nevada Dance Theater, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Progress Association, Southern Nevada Clean Communities, the Nevada State Bar Disciplinary Committee and the Nevada Athletic Commission. The Layne Family also made numerous Charitable Contributions including funding a clinical study by Cleveland Clinic on forced exercise and its effects on Parkinson's disease, scholarships for UNLV student athletes and the UNLV Foundation. Bruce would say his proudest accomplishments were of his love and pride of his wife and sons and the countless friendships he made throughout his life. Friendships came easily to Bruce. He truly loved and was genuinely interested in everyone he met. He could meet you once and no matter how long you talked, his sincere curiosity would leave you feeling you had formed a new authentic bond. And he would know you well at every encounter thereafter. He was powerfully determined, big hearted, kind and a loving man. He is survived by his wife, of 48 years, Sherry; two loving sons, Chad and Trevor; loved daughter-in-law, Katie; five grandchildren, Madison, Garrett, Hudson, Edison and Myles; as well as two brothers and their wives, Jeff and Sally and Tim and Susan; one brother-in-law, Bill; and nieces and nephews, Sherry, Tyler, Morgan, Alexander, Jade, Rachel and Jared. Services will be at 10 a.m. Thu., March 21, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 2300 Sunridge Heights Parkway, Henderson, NV 89052, please use Carnegie Street entrence. In lieu of flowers the Layne family respectfully requests that friends consider a gift to the Bruce Layne Scholarship for UNLV Student-Athletes or to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Parkinson's Research Programs.