Sylvester Lane

(From Buchanan Funeral Home)

December 5, 1989 - July 16, 2026

Most of you knew my husband as Sylvester Layne. A lot of you knew him as Sly — a rose by any other name.

Sly came to Springfield in 2008 to attend Baptist Bible College. He chose it on purpose, because their mission lined up with what was already burning in him: a love of ministry, a hunger to know the Bible deeper, and a faith he wanted to spend his whole life serving. That was eighteen years ago, and he never left. He served faithfully at churches and nonprofits all over this city, including James River, Deliverance Temple Ministries, and Baptist Bible College.

He also built something here. Sly was the proud, hardworking owner of the Tech Bar, where he repaired more than 5,000 phone screens and fixed every iPhone and Android problem his neighbors carried through the door. If your phone broke in this town, there’s a good chance Sly is the reason it’s working today.

If you ever met him, you already know the rest. The smile that pulled you in before he said a word. The kindness that never ran out. He was the guy who would give you the shirt off his back even if he’d met you five minutes ago. He was an avid sports fan who showed up for our local teams with his whole heart and his own wallet. He never once met a stranger — the second he met you, you were someone he cared about, and he kept caring about you for good.

The man who spent his whole life rushing to everyone else’s emergencies became the one who needed us.

At 10:15 a.m. on July 15th, Sylvester went to be with the Lord.

He was my absolute best friend and my greatest love, and he will be missed with words I can’t even find right now.

Thank you, babe, for being the most amazing husband and my best friend. I will love you forever and always. As much as I hate not having you here with me, I love knowing that you are healthy and whole, and that you finally get to meet our kids and teach them all the things you were so good at — loving the Lord and loving me. You fought so hard, and you will always be my Superman. I’m so grateful I got to spend these last five days with you, just like we used to.

This isn’t goodbye — it’s goodbye for now. I’ll see you later, babe. I love you.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Buchanan Funeral Home, Monett, MO