Raymon Virgil Ayers Jr

Ray V. Ayers, 60, a resident of Luverne, Alabama, passed away peacefully at Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery, Alabama. A celebration of Ray's life will be held at 2 PM on Sunday, February 8th, in the Chapel of Turners Funeral Home. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday for one hour prior to the service.

Ray ascended to a local celebrity growing up in Cherokee County where he was a highly recruited high school standout in baseball and on the rodeo circuit with the Alabama High School Rodeo Association. Unfortunately, like too many who test their skills in the rodeo, tragedy struck when Ray was thrown by a horse & pinned against the wall of the Montgomery Coliseum. Left with a traumatic brain injury, he had a long road to recovery. Though he would never fully recover from his injury, it was only through strength of will that Ray was still able to embrace his abiding love of horses to work with them again. He moved out west to work with some of the best trainers and breeders in the country on several large horse ranches there. His years there gave him a true expertise for the craft and, throughout his life, he was still long-sought after by both trainers and breeders around the country for his advice, especially when it came to the best breeding bloodlines because no one knew them quite like Ray.

He would also follow in his father's footsteps through his love of music as he learned to play the guitar and his beloved guitar, Pearl, was always one of his prized possessions. He was also a creative chef with a knack for making mysterious dishes that you were not allowed to ask questions about....at least until after you had already eaten it! Beyond his more mischievous cooking antics, Ray was also a brilliant wordsmith which he used to always keep you on your toes as he challenged you to reexamine your own viewpoints and opinions. However, everything Ray did was always down in the spirit of love and generosity that guided him through life. Indeed, having him as a friend or family member was a true blessing in life as he was the kind of man who would give you his last dollar...even when he had no clue where his next one was coming from. He also never failed to reach out and keep contact with all of the people he loved and proved every time how much he cherished those bonds in life.

Ray was preceded in death by his father, Raymon Virgil Ayers Sr. He is survived by his loving mother and stepfather, Nancy & Foy Hodge; brothers, Paul (Rhonda) Ayers and Tim (Rhonda) Ayers; niece, Railey Ayers; nephews, Garvin Ayers and Koby Timms; grandnephew, J.B. Ayers; and numerous other extended family members & friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org.