Charleen Corless (King) Ayres, 89, passed away January 29, 2025 in Albuquerque, NM.
A Celebration of Life will take place July 26, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at the Community of Christ Church, 186 W State Street, Coldwater, MI.
A light lunch will be provided following the service.
She was born March 17, 1935, the third child of Warren and Deana (Corless) King in Bristol, Indiana. Her family moved to Coldwater, MI, in 1939 and raised their family there.
Charleen graduated from Coldwater High School in 1953 and received an Associates Degree from Graceland College in Lamoni, IA, in 1955. She went to Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI, and graduated with a B.S. Degree in Education in 1957. She taught junior high English in Marshall, MI, where she met her future husband, Bill J. Ayres, who was a teacher in Battle Creek.
She taught in Marshall until she decided to return to college and seek yet another degree. Charleen received her first Master’s degree in Literature from Michigan State University in 1963. A second Master’s in Education was received when she lived in NM.
She and Bill were married in 1964 and resided in Albuquerque, NM, their entire married life where they were both teachers. She and Bill raised two children, Amy and Jeff. During their summers away from the classroom, Charleen and Bill were very involved in the organization “People to People” where they traveled extensively through Europe with students, exposing them to other cultures and ways of life.
Charleen was active in the Community of Christ Church in Albuquerque where she was an ordained Elder. Her ability to serve in that capacity was diminished when poor health hindered her ability to continue.
Both her husband, Bill, and son, Jeff, preceded her in death along with Charleen’s parents, brother, Dean, sister-in-law, Dolly, and brother-in-laws, Earl Hayward and John Minthorn.
Charleen is survived by daughter, Amy, two grandsons, Tommy and Andrew (Kayla), two great grandchildren, Emma and Ben, sisters, JoAnne Hayward, Donna Conley (Carl), Rosalee Minthorn, Marsha McClellan (Harlan), Phyllis Wilcox (Neil) and many nieces and nephews.
For those who wish to donate, contributions can be made to Outreach International at 112 West 18th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108-1232 or the Community of Christ Church in Coldwater.
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