Kenneth Ayers

Kenneth Buren Ayers, of Kennesaw, Georgia, passed away Wednesday, July 2 2025, at the age of 62. Kenneth was born January 10, 1963 in Cartersville, Georgia, the son of the late George Ayers and Nelda Ayers Guthrie.

Kenneth grew up in a household filled with love, family, and the thrill of the racetrack. A graduate of North Cobb High School, he loved swimming, football, and baseball, then racing motorcycles and sliding behind the wheel and earning many championships at Dixie Speedway.

He spent the last 12 years of his career bringing smiles to customers and fueling his love of engines as front-office and shop manager at Vic Williams Tire & Auto. After hours, he continued to chase speed and the latest in automotive innovation, recording the fastest lap in the 2013 “Drive & Learn Le Mans” competition.

Away from the track, Kenneth was an avid golfer, irrepressible storyteller, and charming flirt. Family recall him pranking and protecting his sister in equal measure, making baseball fun for a nephew, commandeering any vehicle to see just how fast it could fly, and making each round of golf more fun than the last. Competitive by nature, caring at heart, he was the first to lend a hand -- or a punch line.

Along with his father, Kenneth is preceded in death by his grandparents, J.D. and Claudia Ayers, and G.C. and Thelma Thurman. He leaves behind to carry on his legacy: his mother, Nelda Ayers Guthrie; step-father, Ken Guthrie; sister, Opal Carlton; brother-in-law, Vance Carlton; nephew, George Carlton; step-sister, Melissa Baggett; brother-in-law, Ed Baggett; nephews, Cole and Dylan Baggett; step-brother, Donovan Guthrie; sister-in-law, Megan Guthrie, and a wide circle of family, fellow racers, and golfing buddies.

Visitation will be Saturday, July 5, 2025, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home. A second visitation begins at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, July 6, followed by a 2:00 p.m. funeral service led by Pastor Perry Fowler. Kenneth will be laid to rest at Methodist Campground Cemetery (265 Cemetery Rd NE, Marietta, GA 30062). Following burial services, family and close friends will be served a meal at a reception at Kennesaw First Baptist Church.