Arthur Edward "Art" Ayers 1945-2001

AYERS, NISSEN, PEDERSON, OLSON, ALVAREZ, MANLEY, BUTE

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 11/2/2012 at 22:19:06

Arthur Ayers
Estherville – Funeral services for Arthur Edward Ayers, Sr., 56, of Estherville will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 31 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Estherville with the Reverend Dr. Linda Kersten officiating. Interment will be held at East Side Memorial Cemetery in Estherville with full military graveside rites by American Legion Post 91, VFW Post 3388 and AMVETS Post 3391 of Estherville. He died on Monday, Aug. 27, 2001 at Avera Holy Family Hospital in Estherville.

Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 30 at the Henry-Olson-Fuhrman Funeral Home in Estherville.

Art was born on Aug. 21, 1945 in Estherville, the son of Raymond and Eileen (Pederson) Ayers. He attended school in Estherville and graduated from Estherville High School in 1965 He later attended Iowa Lakes Community College for two years.

From 1965 to 1967, he served in Vietnam with the United States Army.

He was united in marriage on Sept. 14, 1968 to Jolene Nissen at Zion Lutheran Church in Ringsted. The couple made their home in Estherville where Art worked for Fagre Construction Co. and then Estherville Block and Tile before starting his own construction company in 1976 which he operated until 1983 when he went to work for the Lincoln Central School District as a custodian and bus driver.

In 1983, the family moved to an acreage near Gruver. When Lincoln Central merged with Estherville in 1993, Art transferred to the Estherville High School as a custodian. He also worked part time with his son Mark in construction until he was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2000.

He was a lifetime member of VFW Post 3388 in Estherville.

Art is survived by his wife, Jolene Ayers of Estherville; two sons, Arthur Ayers, Jr. of Estherville and Mark Ayers and his wife, Melissa of Estherville; two daughters, Kimberly Olson and her husband, Darin of Farmington, Minn. and Tina Alvarez and her husband , Connie II of Estherville; eight grandchildren, Elizabeth, Jacob, Emilee and Erika Olson, Alyssa and Logan Ayers and Brittany and Anthony Alvarez; three brothers, Wayne Ayers and his wife, Mardell of Estherville, Bradley Ayers of Worthington, Minn. and Richard Ayers of Emmetsburg and two sisters, Phyllis Manley of Forest City and Linda Bute and her husband, Ken of Alpha, Minn.

He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Lori; his parents and one brother, Floyd. (Estherville Daily News, Estherville, IA, August 29, 2001)