Obituary of Mary Ruth Ayers

Mrs. Mary Ruth Ayers, age 94, formerly of Boone, passed away Saturday afternoon, March 23, 2013 at Autumn Care of Drexel. Born August 6, 1918 in Walnut Cove, she was a daughter of James William and Sarah Rebecca Smith Lasley. Mrs. Ayers was a member of the First Baptist Church of Boone. She was a graduate of Appalachian State Teachers College, majoring in elementary education, and taught in the Watauga County School System for 26 years. Mrs. Ayers was a member of the Boone Garden Club and a member at large of the National DAR. She is survived by her son, Grant R. Ayers, Jr. and wife Alice, of Morganton; five grandchildren, James R. Ayers of Morganton, Michael Lee Ayers and wife Michele, and Charles Patterson Ayers and wife Lara, all of Wilmington, Mary Virginia Owens and husband Phillip, of Clemmons, and Sarah Katie Parvin of Lexington; eleven great-grandchildren, Andrew Ayers of Morganton, Savannah and Charlize Ayers, and Matthew Cannon, all of Wilmington, Jonathan and Eric Danner, Zachery and Nathan Owens all of Clemmons, and Sarah and Marshall Parvin, both of Lexington, Benson Solomon of Columbia, South Carolina; and two sisters, Betty Kosydar and husband, Walt, of Toledo, Ohio; Susie Lasley of Winston-Salem and one sister in law; Kathryn Lasley of Winston-Salem. She was preceded in death by her husband, Grant Robert Ayers, Sr.; daughter, Janice A. Sanford; four brothers and three sisters. Funeral services for Mrs. Mary Ruth Ayers will be conducted Wednesday afternoon at 2 o�clock at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home. Officiating will be Rev. Roy Dobyns. Burial will follow at Mount Lawn Memorial Park & Gardens. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1 o�clock until 2 o�clock at Austin & Barnes Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Burke Hospice & Palliative Care, 1721 Enon Road, Valdese, NC 28690. Online condolences may shared with the Ayers family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com Austin & Barnes Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the Ayers family.