A wife, mother, teacher, animal lover, and community advocate, the late Luann M. Ayers wore many hats in the Parkersburg area. Born September 1, 1962, Ayers graduated from Parkersburg South High School in 1980. After graduating she continued to Glenville State College to obtain her teaching degree.

Ayers was an elementary education teacher for more than 30 years, which included Wirt County Primary Center. She loved going to the beach and finding sharks teeth in the ocean, enjoyed amusement parks, loved animals, (especially dachshunds) and helping others. Ayers was a fan of Wirt County High School, Parkersburg South Patriots, and the Hilltoppers. She enjoyed the outdoors and was a world class skier. Ayers was also a member of the Lubeck Community Baptist Church.

"Luann always went the extra mile and had a wonderful sense of humor," said her widow, Michael Ayers. "Even during her radiation treatments, Luann continued teaching and volunteering with church activities. She loved her students and considered them as part of her family."

Luann Ayers passed away on April 12, 2019 following a battle with cancer. To honor Ayers' love of education and the youth of Wirt County, her family and friends established the Lu-VE Foundation fund at the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF) to forever award scholarships to graduating seniors from Wirt County High School who plan to pursue a degree in early childhood education.

"Luann kept a journal about the joys of being a teacher," said Ayers' sister-in-law, Pam Crislip. "Her writings speak a lot to who she was and the values she had. Such things as "A teacher affects eternity, she can never tell where her influence stops.' And "Helping others is the secret of all success! The key to being happy is to make others happy."

"If everyone whose life Luann Ayers impacted would make a modest gift to her memorial fund, it would swiftly reach the point where it could begin making an annual scholarship in her honor for a cause that she deeply loved most—education," said PACF's Julie Posey.

Luann Ayers is survived by her husband of 34 years, Michael Ayers; two children, Kyle and Kayla Ayers; sister, Pam Clevenger (Dan); and two brothers, Terry Crislip (Pam) and Joe Crislip (Diana).

Individuals who would like to make a tax-deductible donation to support this new fund are encouraged to send a check made payable to the PACF with "Lu-VE Foundation" on the memo line to: PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102 or make an online donation following the link below.