Born to Glenn and Marian Ayers on September 20th, 1955, Don was a third generation Hanford native following his paternal grandparents who settled in Hanford in the 1930’s from Bedford County, Tennessee. Don was the middle child of three siblings, with an older brother David and a younger sister Diane.
Growing up in Hanford, Don was very active in the community. He participated in scouting, both the Cub and Boy Scouts and was active in Boy Scout Troop 400 with his father Glenn as the Scout Master, and participated on the AAU swim team. Once in high school, Don was active in many areas, especially in sports. He continued his aquatic activities as a member of both the swim and water polo teams for all four years at Hanford High. He graduated in 1973. He briefly attended the College of Sequoias in Visalia to pursue his Associates of Arts Degree. After a couple of semesters at C.O.S. Don decided that higher education was not for him. He left C.O.S. and started working full time.
Don went to work for McClard Masonry Construction and became a skilled craftsman in mason and stone construction. He went on to become a crew and project lead working in Hanford and the surrounding area. Much of the stone and mason work around Hanford was built by Don and his crew. In 1986 Don met the love of his life, Jo Ann Moore and they married on New Year’s Eve, 1991. With his marriage to Jo Ann, Don became a loving and supportive father and grandfather to his new family. He took great pride in his home and spent many hours making his house a welcoming home for his friends and family. It became the social hub for many family gatherings and celebrations over the years. All were welcome at Don and Jo Ann’s.
After a 20 year stint at McClard, Don left the construction world and went to work for Valero Oil with the responsibility for maintenance and operations of most of the retail outlets up and down the state. He retired from Valero in 2016. After his retirement, Don continued to be active in the community such as the Elks Lodge as well his circle of friends and family.
Don is survived by his wife Jo Ann Ayers of Hanford and his children Patricia Stockton of Hanford and Earl Moore of Visalia, his grandchildren, Brandynn Moore, Cody Zeafla, Saige Stockton and Jeremy Pomeroy, his brother David Ayers of Hanford and his sister Diane Ayers of Sacramento. He also leaves behind his son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews.
