Obituary of Maurice Ayers

WOLCOTT- Maurice D. Ayers, of, 46 Garrigus Ct., died on November 24 at the Wolcott View Manor and Rehabilitation Center after a brief illness. He was born in Vincennes, Indiana on February 26, 1909 son of the late Orley C. and Pearl (Paris) Ayers, and husband of Flora Jean (Archambault) Ayers. He graduated from Purdue University in Mechanical Engineering in 1933 when unemployment was at 35% and was fortunate to get a job at 50 cents an hour in a U.S Steel plant in Gary, Indiana. In 1938 he was transferred to a new plant near Pittsburgh where he started up two of the new rolling mills for tinplate and automobile strip and then became part of Management. On January 1, 1945 he became Chief Engineer for Steel Company of Canada. On July 1st of that year they had a Nation-wide strike in Canada but Stelco stayed open with 250 people inside the plant and 250 people joined the strike. Two airplanes and a boat supplied the food and men slept on mattresses in box cars till the strike ended in September. He left Stelco five years later to become Chief Engineer of Wheeling Steel in West Virginia and later took a job at Kennecott Copper Corp. in New York as Director of Engineering. He was there seven years until he left to pursue an idea he had making steel strip out of powder using scrap metal. He had his process patented and had three U.S Patents as well as patents in twenty two countries. The Powerful Steel Industry prevented his process from ever going commercial. Maurice and his wife enjoyed over thirty years of retirement fishing, golfing, traveling, playing bridge, and watching his New York Mets. He also enjoyed reading and writing articles mostly about politics and finance. At least four were sold to The Republican American, the latest being "Congress Should Investigate The Fed" dated October 13, 2003. It included the formation of the Federal Reserve, the 1929 Stock Market Crash, and ten years of high unemployment. Besides his wife of forty three years he is survived by his sisters Catherine Homann and Laura Ballard of Indiana and nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife of 26 years, Lola Frazier, and his sister Frances Wertenberger. Arrangements- A gathering of family and friends for Maurice will be held at a later date. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. The Alderson Funeral Home of Waterbury, 9 Holmes Ave, 06710 is assisting with the arrangements.