Ayers, Duane A.

Duane Alvin Ayers passed peacefully into the Presence of God on March 11, 2025. 

Duane was born in Chatfield, M.N. in 1946, the second of six children.  His family moved to western New York in 1949 and settled permanently in Bloomfield in 1955.  He spent his childhood on the family farm, where he developed the work ethic and ingenuity that he was well-known for in adulthood.

 After graduating from Bloomfield Central in 1965, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.  A proud veteran, he was stationed at Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY (1966-67) after attending Tech School for training as a Weapons Specialist at Lowry AFB in Denver, CO. In Nov of 1966 he married Paulette Moore, beginning  their 58 years of marriage. In April 1967 he was transferred to Andersen AFB, Guam, where he led a weapons-loading team for the large fleet of B52’s until October 1968.

 At the completion of his service, they made their permanent home in Bloomfield where they raised their two sons, Brian and Chad.  Joking that there were “no civilian jobs available for loading bombs”, he developed other skills.  He became an appliance repairman specializing in refrigeration at Oyers Appliance Service in Rochester, N.Y. and also at Bennett Hardware in Bloomfield.  For a time, he operated a custom kitchen and bath cabinetry business in Canandaigua, N.Y.   

 Eventually he landed at Bloomfield Central School and became Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds and, for a few years, Transportation Director until his retirement in 2012. He then decided to pursue getting his pilot’s license, which had been a dream of his. He loved flying and it was an exciting time of life for him.

   His workshop was his happy place where he created furniture, toys, and yard art.  He restored classic cars and fabricated custom equipment to maintain his property and home (which he designed and built). There were years spent at Canandaigua Speedway, wrenching on and driving the Hawk-I-Tool and Die #80.  There didn’t seem to be much that he couldn’t build, fix, or improve on.

He was a man of the people.  He loved conversation around the kitchen table with coffee on the stove.  “The Pond”, with its rope swings, zip lines, and yard art was the storybook setting for family celebrations, parties, and Ayersfest.  Perhaps most of all, he was loved for his boundless humor, bringing out smiles and laughter in everyone around him (and nobody got more mileage out of one half of an index finger).

He and Paulette enjoyed traveling together, having adventures in Hawaii and Ireland, as well as visiting most of the continental United States.  In 2015, after a 5-week road trip across the U.S., Duane’s main observation was that there are many more good and friendly people everywhere than those who aren’t.  It renewed his faith in mankind,  The place they enjoyed most, and where they returned often, is Nashville TN.  He developed good friendships with some of those who live and play music there and it was a great place to practice his fancy dance moves.  His sons were always a source of great pride for their dad and are his greatest legacy. Their music is the reason their parents became known to some as the “Ayers Family Dancers”.

He is survived by those he loved: his wife (Paulette) and two sons, Brian (Penny) and Chad (Sarah).  His grandchildren (Jenna, Emily, Rebecca, Jason, and Gracelyn) were among his greatest joys. 

An informal celebration of his life will be held on April 27 at Cheap Charlie’s Restaurant in Bloomfield from 2-6pm.  In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his name to the Wounded Warrior Project.