Layman served on Town Council, volunteered with fire department and rescue squad
By Randy Arrington
STANLEY, April 9 — Duane Layman gave a lot of himself to the Stanley community over the last 15 years. The former Harrisonburg police officer was elected to his third, four-year term on the Stanley Council this past fall and spent more than a decade volunteering with the Stanley Rescue Squad and nearly a decade with the Stanley Volunteer Fire Department. On Sunday, Layman passed away at the Winchester Medical Center. He was 72.
“He had a big drive to serve the community,” Stanley Mayor Michael Knight said on Tuesday. “He was very interested in seeing our town do well.”
Layman was appointed to the Stanley Council in April of 2015 to fill the vacancy left by Richard Dorraugh. That November he won his first, four-year term at the ballot box and was re-elected in 2019 and 2023. His experience in law enforcement, as well as his volunteering for both fire and rescue, was considered an asset to the council.
“He could relate directly to what the police department faced,” Mayor Knight said. “He was easy to work with, he brought good ideas to the meetings, and he wasn’t argumentative. He’s gonna be missed immensely.”
After retiring from the Harrisonburg Police Department and settling in Stanley, Layman joined the volunteer rescue squad in 2010 and later the volunteer fire department in 2015. Over the years, he served as a lieutenant and a captain in the rescue squad, as well as being on the board of directors. He also served on the fire department’s board of directors.
“He wasn’t active fighting fires, but he was very supportive and helped where you needed him … he served in the fire department nine years, and five of those he was on the board of directors,” Stanley Fire Chief Terry Pettit said on Tuesday. “He wasn’t the type that joined just to be a member… he wanted to be involved, and he was.”
In his role as Town Manager, Pettit said that Layman was always very supportive of the police department, and “really all employees of the Town.”
“He was conscientious of tax dollars and the burden on people, especially senior citizens,” the Town Manager said. “In all of his roles, he was dedicated. He always went one step further.”
Stanley officials have yet to decide how Layman’s vacancy on the council will be filled. Pettit plans to discuss the Town’s options with Page County Voter Registrar Carol Gaunt on Monday. The council may lean toward waiting until the fall’s general election to allow voters to decide the next member of council, or there may be rules dictating that the vacancy must be filled in 45 days. Both scenarios have played out during similar situations in the county in previous years.
The Stanley Council meeting for Wednesday, April 10 has been postponed to later in the month. Due to a conference that Pettit and some staff will attend next week, the regular council meeting will likely coincide with a planned budget work session on the last Wednesday of the month on April 24.
Layman was born in Harrisonburg and served in the U.S. Navy. He leaves behind his wife, Katinna Sue Hull Layman, who he marked 20 years of marriage with on April 5, as well as a son, three stepdaughters, a brother, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 12, at the Bradley Funeral Home by Evangelist Doug Gochenour. Burial will be in the Beahm’s Chapel Cemetery in Luray. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at the funeral home.
“He had people’s needs in his heart,” Pettit said of Layman’s service to Stanley. “He’ll be missed.”
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