Obituary of Edward F. Layden

EDWARD F. LAYDEN Whitehall-Edward F. Layden, 85, passed away on April 13, 2013 at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, after a short illness. Ed was an attorney and longtime resident of Whitehall who had spent the last three years living at Coburg Village in Rexford, N.Y. with Kay (Evers) Layden, his beloved wife of 57 years. Ed was born May 16, 1927 in Whitehall, the son of Leon M. Layden (1893-1955), a lawyer, and then judge on the New York State Supreme Court; and Mary H. (Morgan) Layden (1892-1930), a schoolteacher. Ed graduated from Whitehall High School in 1944 and shortly thereafter, enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served as a Radarman Third Class on the U.S.S. Fort Mandan until his discharge in July of 1946. He enrolled at Union College, where we was president of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and a four-year member of the football team under coaches Mel Hein, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and John McLaughry, who led the Dutchmen to a 7-0-1 record in 1949, Ed's senior year. Ed went from Union to Albany Law School, where he was valedictorian of the class of 1953 and co-winner of the school's moot court competition. He accepted a job with a law firm in Albany, but upon the passing of his father in 1955, he returned to Whitehall to mange the firm of Layden & Layden with his older, brother, Jack. A third brother, Leon, also operated under the Layden & Layden shingle, in Hudson Falls, N.Y. Ed was a member of the New York State and Washington County (N.Y.) Bar Associations and in the early 1960s at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court by then-chief justice Earl Warren. Ed practiced in Whitehall for 37 years and was a passionate litigator who loved the moments spent speaking to a jury of his peers; he helped build Layden & Layden into one of the most respected and successful firms in the region, with clients from much of the Northeastern and Midwestern U.S. He was for many years the Whitehall village attorney, and also ran an unsuccessful campaign as a Democratic candidate for Washington County surrogate judge in the late 1960s. Away from the office and courtroom, Ed was a passionate and devoted father to his and Kay's three children, and a regular attendee at their many athletic games, concerts, plays and other activities; he often took his family on long vacations to locations like New York, Miami, Montreal and Washington, far from his small-town roots. Family members will always remember Ed's intelligence, drive and humor, all of which he possessed in abundance. He was a communicant at Our Lady of Angels Roman Catholic Church in Whitehall, and a member of the Knights of Columbus, Council 276. He was a devoted golfer who relished his weekly 18-hole matches at the Skene Valley Country Club and the socializing that followed; his later home overlooked the club's fairways, and he would watch golfers stroll past on a summer afternoons. Earlier in life, Ed had spent summers at Lake St. Catherine in Vermont, where he built a home for his family. From early adulthood until his passing, Ed was a die-hard fan of the New York football Giants, and he long set aside his Sunday afternoons for praising - and critiquing - their performances. In addition to his wife, Ed is survived by his children: Tim and his wife, Janet, of Simsbury, Conn., and their children, Kristen and Kevin; Joe and his wife, Susan, of Saratoga Springs, and their children, Emily and Max; Peg (Layden) Palmiere and her husband, Todd Palmiere, of Latham, and their son, Sam. He is also survived by his brother, Jack, of Whitehall; his brother, Leon, of Hudson Falls, and more than two dozen nieces and nephews. He was predeceased, in addition to his parents, by his sister, Mary (Layden) Winn (1928-1988). Calling hours will be Monday April 15, 2013 from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. followed by a funeral mass at 12:00 noon in St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church 23 Crumite Rd.Loudonville. A private burial service will take place at Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Whitehall. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made in memory of Edward F. Layden to Community Hospice of Schenectady through Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State. www.hpcanys.org/donations.asp For directions, information or to light a memory candle for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com.