Funeral services for Lamerle Mitchell Ayres, age 97, of Greenwood, South Carolina, formerly of Wedowee, will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 11:00 AM at Benefield Funeral Chapel with Bro. Terry Graham officiating.  Private family burial will follow at Wedowee City Cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 10:00-11:00 AM on Wednesday before services begin.

Ms. Ayres passed away on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at Hospice Palliative Care of Piedmont in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Survivors include her daughter, Shirley Payne of Greenwood, SC; granddaughter, Beverly Thorne; three great-grandchildren, Kristen Thorne, Kathryn Thorne, and Katelyn Thorne; and son-in-law, Bobby Thorne.

Pallbearers will be Rob Perry, Al Haynes, David Brooks, Bobby Thorne, Lamar Payne, and Freddie Payne.

A Wedowee native, Ms. Ayres was born on August 21, 1926, the daughter of F. T. and Lela Waldrop Mitchell.  She was a member of the Wedowee First United Methodist Church and worked in the deli at Perryland Foods.  Ms. Ayres was preceded in death by her parents; one grandson, Brian Holloway; three brothers and three sisters.