By Los Angeles Times Staff. Updated July 14, Thousands of lives have been lost in the coronavirus outbreak, in cities and small towns, in hospital wards and nursing homes. The virus has moved across California, killing the old and the young, the infirm and the healthy. Some patterns have emerged. Large metropolitan centers such as Los Angeles and San Francisco appear to be the hardest hit. More than 63 thousand people have died in California.
Michael Ayala retired from the California Highway Patrol in after putting in 30 years. But he never really stopped working. He just shifted his focus to his church and local civic groups around his Sonora home, filling needs, lending his time, getting things done. He was so charismatic that people just gravitated toward him. And he embraced that. 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.
During his career, he served as a patrolman and sergeant, retiring as a lieutenant commander in Sonora. Ayala 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.
Possessing a personality as big as his heart, he was known and liked by just about everyone in the small community. He was a high-energy guy and loved diving in to help out.
He died in Sonora on Dec. He was In addition to his wife and daughters, he is survived by his mother, Mary; a sister, Lisa; and four grandchildren. The deadliest American epidemic of the s was polio, which killed thousands of children and paralyzed tens of thousands more. Lauderdale, Fla. Miller, better known in her grown-up years as Penny Foreman of Clovis, was part of the effort that defeated the disease.
