Leonard Lyman Ayres

Leonard Lyman Ayres, born February 7, 1938, in Worland, Missouri, to Leonard Foster Ayres and Wilma Jennings Ayres, passed away on March 6. The only child of his parents, he graduated from Rich Hill High School in Rich Hill, Missouri, and attended the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Leonard enjoyed a distinguished career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he played a key role in establishing and developing the FBI’s Automation program. After retiring from the Bureau, he served as Executive Director of the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office and in 2009 received the Leavenworth County Law Day Liberty Bell Award.

A devoted man of faith, Leonard was a longtime member and elder of High Prairie Church. He served as President of Leavenworth Gideons International, the Kansas City FBI Alumni Association, and Neighborhood House. He also contributed to the Salvation Army Board and numerous committees at First United Methodist Church. For ten years he served as Scoutmaster for Troop 173, during which all three of his sons achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Leonard cherished classic cars from a young age, purchasing his first—a black and white 1957 Chevy—at nineteen. He later owned a fully restored 1956 Chevy and a 1951 Chevy truck and was an active member of the Kansas City Veteran Car Club. In retirement, he enjoyed early mornings with the Corner Pharmacy Coffee Group and worked as a courier for Zeck Ford.

He is survived by his wife, Carol; his three sons, Michael Leonard (Suzy) and their children Jack, Joseph, Caroline, and Natalie; David Victor (Traci) and their children Lily, Lexi, and Lydia; Matthew Lynn (Sylvia) and their children Abel and Cecilia; sisters-in-law Rosalee Dark Myers Craig and Donna Dark; nieces and nephews Clancy Myers, Beth Ann Devrow, Darby Smiley, Jayme Buresh, Lance Murray, Kevin Murray, and Kelly Werkowitch; and cousins Rosemary Smith, Nancy Lee, and Peggy Jo Carpenter. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister-in-law Mary Murray, and brothers-in-law James Dark, Jim Murray, Bob Myers, and Bob Craig.