Philip D. Layton , 75, of Kintnersville, formerly of Swarthmore, PA passed away on June 30, 2024 surrounded by the family he loved in a setting that permitted him to be close to nature and the animals who meant so much to him. A few days before he died, Phil glibly told us, the cancer won. Despite it winning, Phil's clever wit and dry humor stayed with him until the very end.

Phil was born in Bryn Mawr, PA to the late Joseph and Jane (Rathmell) Layton.

He grew up in Swarthmore with his brother Lee and with his grandparents who were some of his most important role models.

After graduating Swarthmore High School, in the class of 1967, he enlisted in the US Army and volunteered for the role of Airborne Ranger (later telling all his friends that this had taught him to never put his hand up to volunteer for anything again). Phil served as a Sergeant in the 199th Infantry Brigade from 1967 to 1973, with multiple tours in Vietnam and Cambodia leading to his being awarded a Purple Heart and Silver Star.

He then attended Franklin & Marshall College where his mastery of tracking, developed during his service, was put to use by various government agencies. This skill was also useful later in life when Phil became a Deputy Game Warden, tracking hunters to ensure that they were following the law, and rescuing injured animals and delivering them to conservancies that help to rehabilitate them. This role also fed Phil's rich store of stories, which made him a delight at any gathering.

Never one to sit still, Phil served on the Swarthmore fire department, for 35 years, in numerous roles including Fire Chief and Fire Marshall, once again using his skills of assessment and deduction to determine the cause of fires. He also taught at fire school and helped to train countless fire fighters.

Later in life, Phil took up the bagpipes, perhaps in honor of his grandfather, and participated in events in the US and Scotland.

Phil was also a distinguished member of the Robert Burns Society and volunteered for the AARK Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center (he never did learn not to volunteer).

He was also the former President of the New Jersey Mycological Association, which led to his lecturing at Rutgers University on Myxomycetes.

Phil started out his business career working in the computer department of Sun Oil International (1973 to 1986). One of his favorite stories from that time relates to his having his picture taken in front of an IBM Mainframe holding a lemon. This picture was sent to IBM and they were not amused. In fact, they tried to get Phil fired but that was a nonstarter as his father was the CFO of Sun Oil. Phil went on to start his own company, The Castle Group Limited which combined his skills in analytics, programming and organization to support numerous businesses.

Phil was a devoted father and grandfather, he shared his wealth of knowledge, his joy at living and his infinite curiosity with his children and grandchildren.

His great desire to learn led him to amass an extensive library of audiobooks about history, crime and science. To know Phil was to recognize that he rarely met with a question he couldn't find an answer to.

Phil is survived by: his daughter, Maily Cunningham and husband Vincent of Havertown, PA; his son, Charles P. Layton and wife Diba of Media, PA; his five grandchildren, Laura (Cunningham) Floryanovich and husband Alex, Amy, Samantha, Vincent, and Charlie L. Layton; his brother, Lee Layton and fiance Linda Travis of Ridley Park, PA; two former wives, Ta T. Nguyen of Swarthmore, PA, Terri Layton of Kintnersville, PA; and his beloved dogs Morgan and Frieda as well as numerous friends and colleagues.

Two Celebrations of Life will be held. Monday, July 8th from 12 - 2pm at the Braveheart Highland Pub in Hellertown, PA and Tuesday July 9th at 5:00 pm at the Broad Table Tavern at The Inn in Swarthmore, in Swarthmore PA.

A private burial will take place at Highland Cemetery, Lock Haven, PA.

In Lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to: Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center 1531 Upper Stump Road, Chalfont, PA 18914 https://www.aark.org/

Arrangements by: Anders-Detweiler Funeral Home & Crematory, 130 East Broad Street, Souderton, Pennsylvania 18964. To send online condolences to the family, visit www.andersfh.com