Donald West Ayers

Abingdon, VA - Donald West Ayers, age 86, went to be with his Lord on Sunday, June 22, 2025after an extended illness. He was born on October 9, 1938 in Floyd County, VA to Thomas (Cap) and Eva West Ayers. Don was a member of Victory Baptist Church. Don joined the Army after graduation, and became a military policeman, which would affect two of his careers. After almost two decades as a Virginia State Trooper, he spent more than 20 years in loss prevention for KVAT (Food City.)

Don grew up in Meadows of Dan, VA, playing on the water wheel at Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway. When he was older, he delivered feed and flour in patterned sacks that families turned into clothes. A natural athlete, a teacher guaranteed him a college baseball scholarship. He tried out for the Chicago Cubs, and they wanted him to come back, but he decided against baseball and college and joined the Army.

The Army took him to Germany, Austria, Turkey, Lebanon during the 1958 Lebanese Crisis, and to Ft Knox. He left the Army for the Virginia State Police, serving in the 1960s and 70s. Policing allowed him to meet interesting people, like Barbara Mandrell when he stopped her bus driver for speeding; and Loretta Lynn when she was exercising her toddlers in a parking lot in the middle of the night. But his favorite was meeting a nurse in Grundy, VA, who he married six months later and was married to for 55 years.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Ruby Wilson Ayers, his brother Ellis Ayers, and a brother, Thomas Ayers, who died in infancy. And he was most recently preceded in death by his cat Tiger, who decided Don was her owner despite initially belonging to the next-door neighbor.

Don is survived by his daughters, Colleen Welch and husband Dave of Bristol, TN, and Renna Warren and her husband Scott of Knoxville, TN; his grandsons, Samuel Ayers Warren and Luke Everett Warren of Knoxville, TN; sisters Sharon Parker and Ann Conner and her husband Richard; and several nieces and nephews.

Visitation with the family will be held 2:00-3:00 p.m. Sunday, June 29, 2025, in the Forest Hills Chapel of Farris Funeral Service, 19415 Lee Highway, Abingdon, VA. Funeral services will follow at 3:00 p.m. with Dr. Austin Cook officiating. Military rites will be conducted by Highlands Veterans Honor Guard and the Virginia Army National Guard. Honorary pallbearers will be Joe Fryar, Haskle Bledsoe, Tommy Hurd, Dave Welch, Scott Warren, Sam Warren, and Luke Warren. Don will be privately interred beside his wife in Forest Hills Memory Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Tunnels to Towers Foundation, https://dogood.t2t.org/give, in Don’s name. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com and signing the online guest register.

The family of Donald West Ayers is being cared for by Farris Cremation & Funeral Center, 19415 Lee Highway, Abingdon, VA 24210, (276) 623-2700.