Cover photo for James Sibala Lay's Obituary
James Sibala Lay Profile Photo
1989 James 2020

James Sibala Lay

January 4, 1989 — June 29, 2020

Hartsville, SC

Private family only Memorial services for James Sibala Lay age 31 will be held 11:00am Saturday from the Chapel of Norton Funeral Home.  The family is welcoming guest for a visitation of remembrance starting at 10:00am until service time on  Saturday at Norton Funeral Home.  Father Dan Patineau will officiate the services.  Memorial services will be streamed on the Norton Funeral Home facebook page.

James Sibala Lay was born on January 4, 1989, in Buffalo, New York, the third son of Shawn and Imelda Lay. An outgoing and energetic young child, he was diagnosed at the age of 4 with pervasive developmental disorder, a form of autism that limited his language abilities and social skills. Despite the challenges that he faced, James remained a happy and generous person and was deeply loved by his family. He especially enjoyed comic books, old movies, classic rock music, and action figures. He also loved to go shopping with his mother and became a well-known and popular figure in Hartsville. James was diagnosed in early 2018 with Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive cancer that only rarely afflicts adults. For more than two years he fought this disease with everything he had, demonstrating incredible courage and fortitude. He was a wonderful and special young man who will be terribly missed.

Left to cherish his memory are his parents, brothers Alexander Lay and Lawrence Lay, and sister Katerina Lay.

Dear friends, thank you for the many acknowledgments during our time of grief, but please know that Imelda and I strongly urge you to stay home during James' visitation if you have the slightest concern about acquiring or spreading the covid virus. If you have any doubts, just stay home and pray for us. Your prayers and the preservation of your good health would be a wonderful tribute to our son's memory.

Thanks for your assistance.

Shawn Lay

Norton Funeral Home is honored to serve the Lay family.

"Memories are the Legacy of Love"

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of James Sibala Lay, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Saturday, July 4, 2020

10:00 - 11:00 am

Norton Funeral Home of Hartsville

1414 W Carolina Ave, Hartsville, SC 29550

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