During his career, he served as a patrolman and sergeant, retiring as a lieutenant commander in Sonora.Īyala 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. 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.
And he embraced that.”īorn in Burlingame and raised in San Bruno, Ayala married his high school sweetheart Nancy in 1974 in Long Beach and joined the Highway Patrol five years later. He was so charismatic that people just gravitated toward him. “He had the heart and the talent and the personality to meet just about any demand,” said his daughter Erin Natter.
He just shifted his focus to his church and local civic groups around his Sonora home, filling needs, lending his time, getting things done. Michael Ayala retired from the California Highway Patrol in 2009 after putting in 30 years.
