Mary Helen Ayers

Mary Helen Ayers passed away at the Stuarts Draft Retirement Center on Saturday, 6 March 2021. Ms. Ayers was born 9 January 1934 to Louise and Alec Gorden in Spottswood, Virginia, the second of four children.

Mary Helen worked for DuPont for 30 years and retired in 1999. She was part of the “DuPont girls” group that would meet for lunch every so often and she always talked about what they were all up to and later in the years the aches and pains they were all dealing with. She volunteered for 17 years at the Augusta County Public Library and at AMC Hospital and for 34 years at the voting stations.

She was well known for her peanut brittle and when the weather started turning cold, she tried to get ahead and start making batches upon batches (about 25 rounds) for the library folks, people at the hospital, neighbors, antique car club and family and friends. She was very particular about the peanuts, no skin on them and they had to be raw, the temperature outside had to be at least freezing or it wouldn’t set right, gooey and sticky didn’t cut it with her peanut brittle. She always mailed some to Idaho so the kids and grandchildren could enjoy it too.

Mom enjoyed spending 4th of July with as many of the grandchildren as she could. They would spend the day at Gypsy Hill Park, watch the parade and at some point, before going home, stop somewhere for ice cream. This wasn’t just for the little kids, she made sure when she visited her brothers, they would have to go somewhere and get ice cream too before heading home.

On numerous occasions, mom made trips to Idaho to visit with her daughter and her family, she would say what happens in Idaho stays in Idaho.

Mary Helen leaves behind her brothers, Bobby Gorden and Tommy Gorden and his wife, Jan. Her son, Stephen and his wife, Linda, granddaughters, Laura and her husband, James, Mary Beth and her husband, Phillip, Joanna, Debbie and her husband, Matt. She also leaves behind her daughter Cynthia and her husband, Tom, grandsons Adam, Shawn and his wife, Ginger, and granddaughter Sabrina and her husband, Robert. Mary Helen has 9 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews

Mary Helen was preceded in death by her daddy and momma, Alec and Louise Gorden, younger sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Murphy Peters, sister-in-law, Betty Gorden, 2 grandchildren, Stephen and Allison Ayers and great grandson, Taylor Layman. We will miss her presence with us, but will always have memories.

A funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 13, 2021 in Old Providence ARP Presbyterian Church by the Revs. Merle Fisher and Patrick D. Malphrus. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

Henry Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be sent to the Augusta County Library or Old Providence Church, two places she held close to her heart.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.henryfuneralhome.net .