Dorothy Ayers, 92
Dorothy “Dotty” Ayers, 92, of Celina, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, Jan. 26. She was born on July 15, 1928 in Sidney to the late Homer and Lilian Vandora (Cole) Shaffner. On July 21, 1952 she married Frank E. Ayers, who died May 5, 2004.
She is survived by her two children: Jodi (Dave) Wright of St. Marys and Margo Ayers of Columbus; five grandchildren: Lindsay (Andy) Trent of Columbus, Kelsey Schneider (Brent Beauchamp) of San Diego, California, Blake Schneider of Columbus, Kati (Mike) LaBranche of Manchester, New Hampshire and Kylie (Paul) Rammel of St. Marys; six great-grandchildren: Kendel Trent, Cameron Beauchamp, Charlie LaBranche, Quinn LaBranche, Henry Rammel and Evan Rammel and her two sisters and brother-in-law Paula Roeth of Arcanum and Cheryl (Ed) Chappie of Houston.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; brothers Howard Shaffner and Donald Shaffner; sister and brothers-in-law Blanche (Eugene) Gross, Leon Roeth and her half-sister Virginia Phillips.
Dorothy graduated from Coldwater High School in 1946. Then she was employed as a secretary to the line supervisor at Dayton Power & Light Company in the Coldwater District. While employed at DP&L, she had the distinction of winning the DP&L Pool Championship out of the Dayton Area and was the first woman dispatcher company-wide. She was a member of the Myron Pierces all-girl orchestra during the big band era playing lead trumpet and was a vocalist.
She led Girl Scout Troop No. 6 from Brownies through Seniors and enjoyed a lot of camping experiences and good times during that tenure of time. She was a member of the Grand Lake United Methodist Church in Celina. She sang in the church choir for over 50 years, taught Sunday school and Bible school. Dorothy was a former member of the Altrurian Club and the Celina Flower and Garden Club. She volunteered at the Mercer County Council on Aging and enjoyed playing cards with her friends. She loved spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Lehman-Dzendzel Funeral Home in Celina, with Rev. Diane Mendelson and Rev. Dean Bachelor officiating. Burial will follow in the North Grove Cemetery in Celina. Friends may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday before services at the funeral home. Attendees are required to wear masks, practice social distancing and follow the COVID-19 guidelines established by Gov. DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health.
Memorial contributions may be made to Grand Lake United Methodist Church, 119 E. Fulton St. Celina, Ohio 45822. Condolences may be shared with the Ayers family online at LehmanDzendzedlFH.com.