Richard ‘‘Dick’’ William Ayers

Aug 20, 1919 - Mar 24, 2002

Richard ‘‘‘Dick’’ William Ayers, 82, Akron, Ohio, formerly of St. Joseph, Mich., died peacefully at Windsong Care Center, Akron, Ohio, on Sunday, March 24, 2002. Mr. Ayers was born on Aug. 20, 1919 in South Bend, Ind.

He is survived by wife of 62 years, Ida Kathryn (Genrich) Ayers; his son, Michael (Vickie) of Akron, Ohio; his daughter, Madelyn (Clark) Barto of Reed City, Mich. Also surviving are grandchildren, Geoffrey Bartoof of Reed City, Mich., Karen Barto of Tucson, Ariz., Hilary Mae Ayers and Emily Anne Ayersof Akron, Ohio.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Carrie Ayers.

Prior to moving to Akron for health reasons in 2000, Richard had been a resident of St. Joseph, Mich. for 48 years. He was a veteran fly fisherman who fished the Pere Marquette River from the time he was 14 years old and loved the river and the woods near Baldwin, Mich. Dick was also very proud to have been awarded lifetime memberships in the Portage Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, Orak Shrine, and the Elks. He was an avid golfer for many years and a member of St. Joseph Elks Club and Reed City Moose Lodge.

Most of his professional life was spent with the Bendix Corporation in South Bend, Ind. and St. Joseph, Mich., where he retired as director of marketing. He was a longtime member of the Gray & Ductile Iron Founder’s Society and served a term as president. He was also active in the Society of Automotive Engineers.

Funeral services were held 11 a.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Pruitt-Livingston Funeral Home, Reed City, with the Rev. Dawn Pooley officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to Sarett Nature Center, Enton Harbor, Michigan and Curious Kid’s Museum, St. Joseph, Michigan. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Chambrel, Akron General Medical Center, Dr. Douglas Lefton, and the Rite Aid Staff for their care and compassion during the past 1 +years.

Sources: Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com and FindAGrave.com

10/21/2025 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47026821/richard-william-ayers