Lynn McVey Layden, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and community volunteer, died on June 17^th, 2022, in Lafayette, Indiana. She was 81.

Lynn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 15, 1941, the eldest daughter of D.H. and Adelyn McVey. She was an exceptional student and loved the outdoors from an early age. Lynn was a Campfire Girl, and in college, worked as a canoe guide in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota. She studied history and political science at Carleton College and then law at Indiana University, as one of only a handful of women in IU’s law school then. That’s where she met Max Layden, a fellow law student. Their early dates included watching Perry Mason together in the Indiana Memorial Union. Lynn and Max were married in January 1967, graduated from law school, and moved to West Lafayette to begin their careers. Their first child, David, was born that December; their daughter, Kathy, in 1970, son John in 1972, and son Daniel in 1975. Lynn was a brilliant attorney and an even better, more involved mother, leading Cub Scout dens and Girl Scout troops for years. Despite having four children who were all involved in different sports and activities, she never missed a school event, ball game, or swim meet. You could find her in the bleachers or concession stand at the FOP baseball and softball fields many summer nights, cheering on her kids. Her sons, daughter, and a host of other kids in West Lafayette benefited from being with her on many Scout camping trips over the years. Never was there a more enthusiastic teacher of tree and plant identification, campfire songs, or pudgy pie-making. To this day, her former Scouts and kids’ friends share fond memories of her and everything she taught them.

Lynn was a born leader, smart and decisive, and would go on to serve as president of the Sycamore Girl Scout Council and West Lafayette Community School Board. She inherited her mother’s green thumb and always had gardens full of beautiful plants and flowers, as well as a huge vegetable garden. Her talents led her to become a Master Gardener, volunteering countless hours at the Lilly Nature Center at the Celery Bog and Wah-Ba-Shik-A Nature Center in Battle Ground, as well as planting, watering, and tending trees all over West Lafayette. She was passionate about beautifying her community and teaching children to appreciate nature. She chaired the West Lafayette Tree Friends, coordinated many Art in Bloom garden tours, and served on the West Lafayette Parks and Recreation Foundation Board. She served on the Ivy Tech Respiratory Advisory Board for decades and devoted ten years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children as well. In 2011, she was honored as an Outstanding Volunteer by the City of West Lafayette.

As much as she loved being a mother, Lynn enjoyed being a grandmother even more, and had special relationships with all her grandchildren. A talented cook and baker, she put together wonderful holiday dinners. Knowing her opinionated family well, she always made sure to warn everyone that political discussions would not be allowed at her table. Her fondness for holidays and family traditions helped keep her children and grandchildren close, even as they moved to new cities and grew older. She was a lifelong Cubs fan, and her knowledge of the game and fantastic memory led to enormous success in fantasy baseball leagues. Every year she served as “Commish” of the family March Madness contest, too, making sure everyone got their brackets in on time, no matter what. Lynn was also an avid reader and murder mysteries were her favorite. Attending Magna cum Murder book festivals with her sisters was a happy memory.

Dementia took a lot from Lynn in the final year of her life, but we are left with her incredible legacy of hard work, devotion to family, community, and nature, and so many wonderful memories. She was truly one of a kind and will be deeply missed.

Lynn is survived by her husband Max, children David (Stephanie Kiesling), Kathy (David Palmer), John (Diva), and Daniel (Jennifer), grandchildren Matthew, Jack, Madelyn, Avery, Drew, Will, Noah, and Grace, her sisters, Diane Bruggeman and Sally (Tim) Key, sister-in-law Jan Layden, brother-in-law Ron Layden, nieces and nephews, and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and grandson Max Patrick Layden. Lynn’s celebration of life will be on Friday, July 1^st at Soller-Baker Funeral Home at 1184 Sagamore Parkway West, in West Lafayette, Indiana. There will be a visitation beginning at noon, and a celebration of life service at 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider a donation to the West Lafayette Tree Friends Endowment, in care of the Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, or to the Tippecanoe County Parks & Rec Department, in care of the Lynn Layden Memorial Fund.