Sherry Ayers

1941 - 2023

Sherry Ayers
October 28, 1941 – October 1, 2023

Mrs. Sherry Ayers was born October 28th 1941 in Plainfield, New Jersey. On October 23rd, 1961 she married her husband Kenneth Ayers. Ken and Sherry relocated to Southern California in 1962. In November of 1968 they moved to the town of Running Springs in the San Bernardino Mountains where they raised their four children, Tracy, Kenny, Brian, and Marcy.

Both worked locally, Ken as a CHP, and Sherry as an instructional aide at Hoffman Elementary School, and as the years passed and their children grew, the family became a solid pillar of the mountain town of Running Springs.

During her tenure at the elementary school, Mrs. Ayers, as she was called by the students, helped generations of kids become better versions of themselves. She read with them, held them to standards of behavior, and infused each small life with a sense of belonging and love. Mrs. Ayers' constant presence and enthusiasm for all kids made her universally revered by kids and adults alike.

This universal love for Mrs. Ayers was demonstrated most distinctly on Halloween night. For approximately five decades, generations of mountain kids flocked to her house and climbed the stairs to her front door, not so much for the candy, but to bask momentarily in her attention. To stand in her doorway and hear Mrs. Ayers exclaim, with her arms outstretched, "Look at you!" This was what if felt like to feel special. Mrs. Ayers' most unique gift was that she made everyone in her life feel like they mattered. Halloween night was a chance to receive this gift and they came by the droves to do so.

Though she would eschew recognition for her talent, Sherry was a highly creative artist. What she touched became beautiful. And she was brilliant in all her mediums. Through the years, her sewing machine was rarely given time off. In the early days, she made her kids' clothing, and later she became a master of vibrant quilts. In the summer months she could be found outside, where she coaxed the miserly soil of the pine forest into tall Shasta daisies, astilbes, and rose of Sharon. The riot of color in her front yard drew admiration, inspiration, and evening walkers. She wove fabric and flowers without a desire for recognition, but for the pure beauty of doing so.

If Sherry's palette was her home, her true canvas was in the kitchen, where she produced perfect lasagnas and impeccable chocolate pies. As her family grew, her four children added spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. All flourished under the care of a woman who lived for her relationships. Sherry's capacity for love grew in pace with her family, along with ever larger pans of lasagna. And she was a magician, always finding room for one more seat around the table.

For family and fortunate close friends, Mrs Ayers was also our mender. If you came to her with torn jeans, a bloodied elbow, or a broken heart, she would fix them equally. Once order was restored, she'd offer a hug and a kiss on the head, and send us back into the world before returning to the solitude of hanging clean laundry on her clothes line. Though a worn out cliche, she was truly and unfailingly "always there for us".

In 2020, Sherry and Ken reluctantly left the mountain to relocate to Redlands, where they enjoyed closer proximity to their family and the absence of winter snow storms. But Sherry's heart stayed in the mountains where her home had been for so many years. Her indelible presence remains in the mountain on Pinehurst Drive where the daffodils she planted return each spring and the trick-or-treaters still fill her street in late fall.

Mrs. Sherry Ayers passed from this world on October 1st, 2023. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, her four children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, and a collection of fortunate people who considered her a second mom, and a best friend. For those of us who must live without her, we will attempt to emulate her offerings of impermanent beauty: a warm house, a nourishing meal, a seasonal garden, and the ability to set aside distraction and be truly present for a child. And we will continue to gather at her table and wish she was with us.