Ayers
NASHVILLE — Businessman and entrepreneur James Wesley “Jim” Ayers died on April 1, 2025, after battling several health issues. He was 81.
Born in Parsons, Tenn., Ayers lived by the Bible verse from Luke 12:48: “To whom much is given, much is expected.” This principle guided his extensive business career and philanthropic efforts.
A self-described entrepreneur since childhood, Ayers began shining shoes for 10 cents a pair. By age 10, he was driving a tractor on the family farm. At 16, he traveled to Mississippi to sell Bibles door-to-door for the Southwestern Company. His high school nickname, “Speedy Ayers,” reflected his love for drag racing along the Tennessee River.
After graduating from Parsons High School in 1961, Ayers attended Memphis State University, earning an accounting degree in 1965. Ayers returned to Tennessee at age 22, following his father’s death, to support his widowed mother and joined Care Inns nursing home company, where he quickly rose to president.
Ayers built his own network of 40 American Health Centers before shifting focus to banking in the mid-1990s. He acquired Farmers State Bank in Scotts Hill, Tenn., and later the First National Bank of Lexington, which he renamed FirstBank. Under his leadership, the bank’s assets grew from $14 million in 1984 to over $13 billion today. In 2016, Ayers took FirstBank public on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1999, Ayers established The Ayers Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life for rural Tennesseans through education, conservation, and social welfare. Over 25 years, the Foundation has directly supported more than 20,000 rural Tennessee students through the Ayers Scholars Program, which now operates in 33 high schools across 21 economically distressed counties.
“Led by Jim, the entire Ayers family has demonstrated biblical generosity,” said Randy C. Davis, president/executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. “Particularly, our own Union University benefitted greatly from the Ayers’ heart for impacting Kingdom work by their giving.”
Though not a Union graduate himself, Ayers had family connections to the university. His first major contribution to Union funded construction of Jennings Hall, named after his grandparents, with a $2 million donation.
Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver stated, “Jim Ayers’ unwavering commitment to education and his generous spirit have left an indelible mark on Union University.”
His philanthropy extended to healthcare, establishing the Ayers Institute at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the Jim Ayers Medical Tower at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Ayers Children’s Hospital in Jackson, and the Ayers Institute for Teacher Learning and Innovation at Lipscomb University.
Despite his business success, Ayers remained devoted to his Tennessee roots. He enjoyed traveling with his wife Janet, duck hunting at Grassy Lake in Kentucky, sports fishing off the Florida Keys, and fishing for crappie across West Tennessee. He had also been a member of First Baptist Parsons since 1972.
Ayers is preceded in death by his parents James Paul Ayers and Wilma Jennings Durham Ayers; his son Paul Eugene Ayers; and half-brother William Ralph “Bill” Durham. He is survived by his wife Janet Snodgrass Ayers; son and daughter-in-law J. Jonathan “Jon” and Kristy Ayers; stepdaughter Katie Givens Bryant; grandson Jay Ayers; granddaughters Eloise and Elodie Bryant; sister and brother-in-law JoAnn and Mike Lynn; and many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins.
The Ayers family will receive visitors on Friday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ayers Foundation Trust headquarters in Parsons, and on Saturday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to noon at First Baptist Church of Parsons. A funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday at FBC Parsons, with a private burial service at a later date. Additionally, a Celebration of Jim’s Life will be held at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on Sunday, April 13, at 3 p.m., open to all friends and acquaintances.
