“He was a very present father,” Natter said.Īyala was hospitalized and diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after Thanksgiving.

He was a high-energy guy and loved diving in to help out.”īeing a huge San Francisco Giants fan – he and Nancy and their two daughters, Erin and Heather, would drive from Modesto to Candlestick Park when they held season tickets – Ayala was thrilled to celebrate the team’s three championships during the past decade, sharing that delight with his family. “If a fundraiser came along, he’d organize it. “If someone needed help with bills, he’d throw a dinner,” Natter said.

Possessing a personality as big as his heart, he was known and liked by just about everyone in the small community. Ayala also was active with the Kiwanis Club and Sierra Bible Church in Sonora. During his career, he served as a patrolman and sergeant, retiring as a lieutenant commander in Sonora.Īyala then shifted gears, stepping in to be the executive director of the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce for three years when the organization was struggling. Though that choice of vocation was made with an eye toward stability, Ayala soon realized that law enforcement was a good fit for his leadership and problem-solving skills. And he embraced that.”īorn in Burlingame and raised in San Bruno, Ayala married his high school sweetheart Nancy in 1974 in Long Beach and joined the Highway Patrol five years later. He was so charismatic that people just gravitated toward him. “He had the heart and the talent and the personality to meet just about any demand,” said his daughter Erin Natter. He just shifted his focus to his church and local civic groups around his Sonora home, filling needs, lending his time, getting things done. Michael Ayala retired from the California Highway Patrol in 2009 after putting in 30 years.

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