Surnames: Ayer, Bipes, Rahm, Hanson, Dallmann, Johnson, Bloom, Wittlinger, Vanderhoof

----Source: Marshfield News Herald (Marshfield, Wood County, Wis.) Fri, Jul 1, 2005

Ayer, Melvin (11 Sept. 1923 -30 June 2005)

UNITY, WIS. - Melvin Ayer, 82, Unity, Wisconsin, died Thursday, June 30, 2005, at House of the Dove in Marshfield.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 5, 2005, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Unity. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at Community Funeral Home in Colby and from 10 a.m. until service time Tuesday at the church.

----Source: Marshfield News Herald (Marshfield, Wood County, Wis.) Sat, Jul 2, 2005

Melvin W. Ayer

UNITY, WIS. - Melvin Walter Ayer, 81, Unity, Wisconsin, died Thursday June 30, 2005, at House of the Dove in Marshfield.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 5, 2005, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Unity. Burial will be in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in Unity. The Rev. Robert Bipes will officiate.

Pallbearers will be Emery Rahm, Gale Hanson, Jim Dallmann, Ken Johnson, Dennis Bloom and Brian Dallmann.

Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, July 4, 2005, at Community Funeral Home in Colby and from 10 a.m. until time of services Tuesday at the church.

Melvin was born Sept. 11, 1923, in the town of Unity to Walter T. and Esther S. (Wittlinger) Ayer. He attended Riplinger Grade School, Riplinger High School and graduated from Unity High School in 1941. He enjoyed playing football, basketball, boxing, baseball and softball. After graduation, he played with the Unity Tigers Basketball team and various other area baseball teams and enjoyed bowling. Melvin and Helen Genevieve Johnson were married on Oct. 14, 1944, in Veefkind. They celebrated 60 years of marriage in 2004.

The Ayers lived in Spencer, town of Unity, Colby and the village of Unity. Melvin was a hard worker all his life. He farmed, logged and was an insurance agent. They raised four boys, Warren, Robert, Douglas and Bradley. They owned and operated Ayer Supermarket and Meat Processing business in Unity for ten years before they retired in 1981.

Melvin and Helen enjoyed life on Pier Lake. He was an avid fisherman, hunter and card player all his life and especially cherished visits from his family. He was a former clerk of the Maplewood School and former village of Unity president. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Church Board and Cemetery Board.

Melvin is survived by his wife, Helen Ayer of Unity; his sons, Warren (Debby) Ayer of Fremont, Robert (Roxanne) Ayer of Columbus, Douglas (Judy) Ayer of Merrill and Bradley (Jane) Ayer of Clear Lake; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild, Jeff (Arlene) Ayer and daughter, Autumn, of Forest Lake, Minn., Annette Ayer of Green Bay, Scott and John Ayer of Merrill, Ashley and Danielle Ayer of Columbus and Ryan Ayer of Clear Lake; and three sisters, Lenore Vanderhoof of Marshfield, Lucille Rahm of Spencer and Elaine (Owen) Hanson of Apache Junction, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Esther and Walter, and one brother, Verlond.

Trinity Lutheran Church at Unity, Wisconsin