AYALA, Marion
Published in the Los Angeles Times on March 24, 2013
Of Norwalk, passed away peacefully on March 10, 2013, at the age of 90. Born Jan. 31, 1923, to Mariano and Maria Ayala, he was one of 12 children and grew up in Tempe, AZ. He graduated from Mesa High School in 1942. Always mechanically adept, he built his first car from spare parts. During WWII, he served in a tank destroyer battalion in Belgium and France. After his return from the war, he started a business harvesting crops for local farmers. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he ran a restaurant and saloon, worked in manufacturing and was active in the labor movement. His keen sense of social justice was evident in the 1960s, when he marched with Cesar Chavez and helped unionize farm workers. He retired from Alcoa Aluminum Vernon CA Works in 1985. In later life, he enjoyed traveling the world with his wife of 46 years, Margaret, handicapping the ponies, doing home improvement projects and tending his garden. Always quick with a smile and a joke, he was happy to share his knowledge with others and was an anchor in his family. He will be dearly missed. He is survived by his sisters, Lupe and Angel; children Dan Ayala, Laura Ayala-Huntley and Armando Ayala; and grandchildren Isaiah, Hannah and Sophia Ayala.
AYALA, Marion
Published in the Los Angeles Times on March 24, 2013
Of Norwalk, passed away peacefully on March 10, 2013, at the age of 90. Born Jan. 31, 1923, to Mariano and Maria Ayala, he was one of 12 children and grew up in Tempe, AZ. He graduated from Mesa High School in 1942. Always mechanically adept, he built his first car from spare parts. During WWII, he served in a tank destroyer battalion in Belgium and France. After his return from the war, he started a business harvesting crops for local farmers. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he ran a restaurant and saloon, worked in manufacturing and was active in the labor movement. His keen sense of social justice was evident in the 1960s, when he marched with Cesar Chavez and helped unionize farm workers. He retired from Alcoa Aluminum Vernon CA Works in 1985. In later life, he enjoyed traveling the world with his wife of 46 years, Margaret, handicapping the ponies, doing home improvement projects and tending his garden. Always quick with a smile and a joke, he was happy to share his knowledge with others and was an anchor in his family. He will be dearly missed. He is survived by his sisters, Lupe and Angel; children Dan Ayala, Laura Ayala-Huntley and Armando Ayala; and grandchildren Isaiah, Hannah and Sophia Ayala.
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