Elsie C. Ayres, loved nature

Our beloved mother, Elsie C. Ayres (Clausen) returned to God one year ago, Oct. 4, 2018. She was born Nov. 19, 1921.

As part of the Greatest Generation, she grew up during the Depression. While our father served in the Navy during World War II, mom worked at DuPont making nylon parachutes. In the 1950s, with our dad, Harry R. Ayres Jr., she owned and operated the Millsboro Tastee Freez and raised us, her daughters, in the nurture of the Lord at St. Mark's Episcopal Church.

Mom recalled that, during the early years of her life, her family's only transportation was a mule-drawn wagon, and in the years prior to her death, she expressed amazement as rockets carried supplies to the International Space Station.

Our mother, an ardent lover of nature and of all living creatures, could raise any infant animal, be it a featherless baby bird or a hairless, almost-frozen baby squirrel. She embodied qualities of strength, independence, gentleness, kindness and grace, and she is missed more than any words can describe. Mom's light and life embraced us for almost 97 years, but it was not nearly long enough.

She is survived by her daughters, Jacquelyn Ayres and Adrienne Ayres; her son-in-law Richard Anthony; and a number of nieces and nephews.

If you wish to honor her memory, please enjoy a sunset, appreciate cloud formations, help an animal, perform an act of kindness, or hug someone you love.