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LAYTON — Layton Mayor Steve Curtis died overnight.
The death was unexpected, City Councilman and mayor pro tem Jory Francis told KSL Friday morning.
"It was quite a surprise to everybody," he said.
"His wife noticed at about 2:15 a.m. that he was unresponsive," Francis said. Family members called 911 and performed CPR, but Curtis could not be revived, according to Francis.
A cause of death has not been determined.
"Mayor Curtis was one of the good ones," Francis said, "a giant of a man who loved, absolutely loved, Layton City with all of his heart."
"He lived every day to serve Hill Air Force Base, to improve a park, to improve services in our community, to meet with citizens," Francis continued. "The loss is going to be extremely hard on a lot of people."
Curtis was finishing his second term and had served 10 years on the city council before becoming mayor, according to Layton City's website. He has lived in Layton for 33 years.
Francis will be acting mayor for December, then Bob Stevenson will take over Jan. 1. Stevenson was elected mayor earlier this month. Curtis did not run.
Mayor Curtis was one of the good ones, a giant of a man who loved, absolutely loved, Layton City.
–Jory Francis, city councilman and mayor pro tem
Curtis is survived by his wife, five children and three grandchildren.
Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Ogden, Curtis went to Weber State and Brigham Young University before beginning a career in communications, according to his biography on the Layton city website. He managed a venue during the 2002 Winter Olympics and served on several boards and commissions. He also served a president of the Utah League of Cities and Towns.
Curtis was humble, asking people to call him by first name rather than "mayor" and keeping his door open to visitors at all times, Francis said.
Contributing: The Associated Press and Heather Kelly McShane
