CONSTANCE AYERS

AYARS--Constance. On Sunday, December 22, 2019, Constance Ayars (nee Zeiger), passed away at the age of 69. Constance was born on August 2, 1950 in Brooklyn, NY to Rose Baffa Zeiger and Edward Zeiger and grew up in Tenafly, NJ. She then obtained a degree in fine arts at Skidmore College. After college, Constance lived in Los Angeles, CA where she worked as a gra- phic designer and obtained a graduate degree at UCLA. She then made a career change and pursued a law degree, graduating from Yale Law. Upon completion of her J.D., Constance moved to New York City, joined Cravath, Swaine & Moore where she practiced as a corporate attorney for 25 years, and lived in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Constance always stayed connected to art. She had an extensive private collection, and especially enjoyed collecting the art of her favorite artist and dear friend, Mark Beard. After retiring from law, Constance moved to Old Lyme, CT and returned to practicing her first love, art. She primarily painted in watercolor and completed over 800 pieces, sometimes painting a new work each day, up until her death. Her artwork has been shown at the Cooley Gallery, the Lyme Art Association, and the Essex Art Association. Her final exhibit, "A Few of My Favorite Things," was on display at Chelsea Frames in Manhattan. She is survived by her beloved friend since birth, Maureen Previti, and Maureen's family (husband Frank, son Robert, and daughters Christina and Regina).