Joshua Russell Ayers, 30, of Traverse City, passed away Wednesday October 12, 2016 due to a heart attack while working in El Dorado Arkansas.

Josh was born January 1st, 1986 at Munson Hospital to Scott and Kimberly Ayers. He has three brothers; Matthew, Ryan, and Brandon. He attended Glenn Loomis Elementary School where he began his friendships with John Reid, Tim Kenny, Joe Young, Jake Fountain, Greg Meyer, Austin Klug and SO MANY MORE (which we as a family thought was weird as he always told us he didn't have many friends).

Josh attended Glenn Loomis, West Junior High, and West Senior High before moving on to his college career (for those that know him you would know he made a career out of being in college). He attended school, (maybe not classes) at NMC, Western Michigan University, and Ferris State University.

Throughout his short life he was able to experience many things and one of his best qualities was his work ethic. Josh worked for many places and found things he loved about each one of them. His first job at City Bike Shop allowed him work, with one of his greatest passions being bikes. From there he went to the Crown Golf Course where he was able to spend time in the outdoors, which was the places that made him the happiest. Going into his post High School Career he spent several years at Professional Landscapes, which combined his passion for nature with his need to make nature perfect through rock walls and other beautiful landscape projects. After landscaping, he moved on to his current job at Clean Harbors Environmental, where he met some of the nicest people he ever worked with. And of course we cannot forget how he was always there for the family businesses whether it was for a weekend when he was home for months when we were trying to get the business back on its feet.

Josh was born and raised in Traverse City where he was surrounded by great friends and all the beautiful nature he so much enjoyed being around. Being in this area allowed him to grow his passions for biking, fishing, hiking, music, shooting guns, and camping. Growing up he was raised in Central United Methodist Church where he would have many of friends around him.

Anyone that ever spent more than a minute with Josh would know that possibly the most important part of his life was his animals and he was also finding and bringing home new ones (including the day before he passed when he found a cat at a job site and he started texting anyone he could to take the cat into their home). His dogs Maverick and Sadie are great examples of how caring he was for animals.

He is survived by his fiancé Holly Smith and her parents Kathleen and Ken as well as her sister Allison. His parents Parents Scott and Kim, Brothers Matthew, Ryan and his fiancé Courtney Zirkle, Brandon and his girlfriend Korie Franckowiak, Grandparents Don and Louanne, aunts and uncles who include Pamela, Valerie, Vickie, Russell, Jeffery and his wife Kristen, Bryan, Patricia and her husband Nick, Mark and his wife Angie, Lori, and many cousins. His pets include Sadie, Maverick, Lexi, Hazel and many animals that preceded him that are playing with him on the Rainbow Bridge. Preceded in death by grandparents Ron and Nancy Ayers
Family service will be held at a later date

In lieu of flowers we ask that donations be made to the Cherryland Humane Society.
We would like to thank everyone for the love and support given to our family. We are so fortunate to know that he touched so many lives in so many different ways.

The family is being cared for by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.