Mary Eleanor Montgomery Ayers

Ms. Mary Eleanor Montgomery Ayers, 85 of Mount Airy, passed away at the Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson on Wednesday January 14, 2026, surrounded by her loved ones. Ms. Ayers was born in Patrick County on October 21, 1940, to the late Warren and Gertrude Mabe Montgomery. She was a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and friend who will be greatly missed. Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Libby Banks; two sons and daughter-in-law, Wayne and Helen Ayers, and Gary Ayers; five grandchildren, Summer and Joshua Stover, Tyler Duty, Brandon Tyler Banks, Bryan Austin Banks, and Brycen McKay Banks; six great-grandchildren, Chole Harp, Madison Harp, Raelyn Harp, Forrest Stover, Addison Duty, and Evelyn Duty; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Ardith and Wayne Maxwell, and Margaret Page; brother and sisters-in-law, Tim and Andra Montgomery, and Patty Montgomery; special family members, David Banks, Michelle Smith, and Karen Ratliff; many nieces and nephews; and several other friends and family. In addition to her parents, Ms. Ayers was preceded in death by a sister, Deborah “Debbie” Montgomery; and by four brothers, Bernard Montgomery, Warren “Sonny” Montgomery, Delano Montgomery, and Charles Montgomery. Funeral services will be held on Sunday January 18, 2026, at 2:00pm in the Moody Funeral Home Chapel in Mount Airy with Rev. Buford Jessup officiating. Burial will follow in the Montgomery Family Cemetery in Ararat, VA. The Ayers family will receive friends on Saturday evening, January 17, 2026, from 6:00 until 8:00pm at Moody’s in Mount Airy. A special thank you is given to the nurses on the fourth floor at Northern Regional Hospital and to Mountain Valley Hospice for all of the love and care given during Ms. Ayers’ illness. Moody Funeral Services in Mount Airy is serving the family.