Bobby Lee Laye

Bobby Lee Laye was born October 14th, 1966 in Mesquite, TX. He is survived by his mother, Mary Anne Odell; his older brother, David Wayne Laye and sister-in-law Barbara Anne; older sister Sherry Anne Johnson; nephews Justin Johnson and Donald Johnson; nieces Tabitha Johnson, Tiffanie Johnson, Doniene Bernelle, Misty Laye Groue; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Bobby was in a long-time committed relationship with Randy Rinestine, and was adored by Randy’s children and grandchildren; at the time of his passing, he was roommates with his dear, long-time friend and confidante, Loretta Kinson. Bobby was preceded in death by his father, David Wesley Laye, and by his nephew, David Wayne Laye, Jr. Even before he started telling his life story, it was clear to see that Bobby had been the baby of his family. Bobby was a charmer, having honed the ability to weasel the biggest slice of cake or last stick of candy from his beloved father at a very young age. David Wesley’s untimely passing left an invisible mark on Bobby that never completely went away. The visual similarities between Bobby and his late father were sometimes striking - often, family members would spook, thinking they were seeing a ghost out of the corner of their eye and finding Bobby instead, leaning in the door jam with his hand on his hip, exactly as his father had done 40 years before. Bobby spent his grade school and junior high years in Mesquite. Small and chubby-cheeked, he didn’t fit in with the bigger, rougher boys at Bedford Galloway Elementary, which suited him just fine - “Cool Kids” have to be slightly aloof, and Bobby wanted nothing more than to express his enthusiasm at all times - whether that time was appropriate or not. Playing with the girls and hanging out with the not-quite-so cool kids was way more fun and way more entertaining. It’s not surprising that the friendships he made in grade school lasted his entire life. Early in his high school days, his mother, Mary Anne, remarried and moved to Duncanville, Bobby in tow. Where as West Mesquite Junior High had been all about football, Duncanville High was all about the arts, theatre most of all, and Bobby was a gifted actor and instinctual dancer. Bobby thrived in the creative environment, and embraced by his theatre friends, he quickly became one of the most popular students at his new school, with friendships that would last his entire life. After high school graduation, Bobby bounced between his friends in Mesquite and his friends in Commerce for a bit before settling down at Eastfield Junior College, quickly becoming a fixture in the theatre department. With his dancing abilities, he was often cast in the musicals even though he swore he couldn’t sing, and was asked by voice instructors to join in recitals to add comic relief. Long hours of building sets and rehearsing couldn’t dim his enthusiasm for being on stage and performing, and his energy often carried his cast mates along. And again, those close friendships he made at Eastfield would last his entire life. For a man who longed to set down roots, Bobby was often a gypsy when a new adventure beckoned, throwing everything he owned in his old kit bag and hitting the road: Dallas, Saint Louis, San Francisco, Talihina; but nothing compared to New York City. Bobby loved the Big Apple and everything about it: from the proper etiquette in ordering “a caw-fee and a smee-ah,” to the way certain blocks turned into charming, self-contained neighborhoods. One of his proudest achievements was acting off-Broadway, and the events of Nine-Eleven shook and dismayed him as much as if he’d been born in New York. Before his health required that he remain near caregivers, Bobby often spoke of returning to New York City to re-pursue his abandoned acting career, rejoining his NYC friends and family; and as much as he felt he was a native Texan, Bobby felt he was a true New Yorker, as well. When not acting, Bobby was always searching for that perfect opportunity that would afford him the security he envied in his close friends. While it was sometimes his patented charm that got him into a new position, it was his under-estimated intelligence and strong work ethic that made him almost irreplaceable everywhere he worked. Waiter, bartender, book clerk, teaching assistant, warehouse worker, travel agent, corporate recruiter, auction consignment co-ordinator, acting coach - it didn’t matter what or where the job was, Bobby always found a way to excel, and always found new, fast friends. After a bruising stint in San Francisco, Bobby returned to Mesquite to heal his soul and regain his equilibrium - it was during this self-imposed lull in his life that he met Randy, the person who would soon become Bobby’s soul-mate. While their relationship could be sometimes tumultuous, they always ended up back together; and Randy was instrumental in keeping Bobby as healthy as possible the last few years of his life, saving his life on more than one occasion. Bobby knew he had kidney problems and that his kidneys would eventually fail him completely at some point, but he had always hoped it would be later rather than sooner; and after he went into renal failure, he still maintain the steady belief that a transplant was just around the corner - just one more month, just one more test, just one more piece of paperwork to fill out, and he’d return to the life he knew and craved. And he should have been the perfect candidate; with the exception of his kidneys, he was relatively young and in wonderful physical condition; when the congestive heart failure episodes began, it became harder and harder to hang on to that belief. And in the end, it was his heart that failed him. Bobby left this world May 13, 2014, in Bedford TX, surrounded by the friends he made in grade school, high school, and college, his oldest friends standing beside his bed, his soul-mate of 14 years holding his hand. He was 47 years old. Service will be 9:00AM Friday May 16, 2014 at New Hope Funeral Home, 500 E. Hwy. 80, Sunnyvale, TX. 75182. Family will receive friends at the funeral home Thursday evening from 5PM - 7PM. Interment will be in Lone Grove Cemetery, Scipio, Oklahoma.