Daniel Ayers

DANIEL AYERS

Iowa City

Daniel Eugene Ayers,

30, passed away Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, in Cedar Rapids. Dan grew up in Iowa City, graduating from City High School in 2002. A Remembrance Service will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be directed to the Crisis Center, 1121 Gilbert Ct., Iowa City, IA 52240.

When he was 12, Dan

discovered his love for

playing the guitar. He was extraordinarily talented at it and was especially influenced by the style of Marty Friedman. A fan of Megadeth, Metallica, AC/DC, Guns N' Roses and the Misfits, he practiced his heavy metal riffs relentlessly and dreamed of playing in his own band. That dream took him to Rhode Island and Florida, before returning to Iowa City in 2009. Along the way he learned to cook a wide range of foods and cooking would become another source of pleasure in his life (the hotter the better).

His loved ones will remember him curled up with books, Calvin and Hobbes or Stephen King, or watching mystery and suspense shows on television. They will remember his sense of humor and his affinity for George Carlin. They will remember his kindness, which led him to take in stray cats and help however he could to ease others' burdens. They will remember his beautiful eyes and long eyelashes, his warm and gentle soul.

Daniel was preceded in death by his sister, Josie; and grandparents, Robert and Louise Ayers and Eugene Wilson.

He is survived by his parents, Patrick Ayers and Linda Foster; his grandmother, Evalyn Wilson; his stepfather, Michael Foster; his sister and brothers, Gena, Michael, Steven and Ezekiel; his sisters-in-law, Rachel Ayers and Jennifer Teitle; his stepsister, Jennifer Foster; his nieces and nephews, Elizabeth, Riona, Jack, Yvaine, Zelda and Benjamin; his aunts, uncles and cousins; and young Frankie, who he loved.

Online condolences may be sent to www.lensing

funeral.com.