Carter Morgan Ayres

Carter Morgan Ayres (“Morgan”) passed away peacefully on November 15, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin, after suffering complications from a fall that occurred two months earlier. He was 77 years old.

Morgan was born in Sydney, Australia in 1948 and lived the first fourteen years of his life there. He enjoyed school, playing with friends, water sports, and family time with his brothers and parents. He was always one to be properly dressed for every occasion, and this proved especially true while attending school. While in Sydney, he attended Mosman Church of England Preparatory School, then Knox Grammar School, and later attended Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore). A proud Aussie for life, he referred to himself as a Shore “old boy” (former Shore student), would be the first to tell you he was from Sydney, and would very often share his experiences growing up in Sydney with family and friends.

Upon moving to the United States, Morgan attended and graduated from Bronxville High School in Bronxville, New York. During this time, he also attended flight school at Westchester County Airport (KHPN), earning his Private Pilot Certificate at age 17. He proudly paid for flight school on his own.

Morgan attended Macalester College in Minneapolis, earning a degree in psychology. He attended graduate school at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, earning a Master of Science in Education with a focus on School Psychology. He started his School Psychology career in Beloit, Wisconsin and later was hired by Sun Prairie Area School District, where he finished his career after more than thirty years as a School Psychologist. He was passionate about helping children and families, and this was apparent from the many thank you cards he got from the families he helped.

Morgan was an adventurer! In the early-mid 1970s, Morgan went on a months-long trip to Tahiti and the surrounding islands in French Polynesia, exploring and SCUBA diving the reefs in the area. He brought so little film on the trip (the rest was hidden in luggage) that the French counter-intelligence services operating in the area thought he was an American spy! Speaking fluent French, Morgan eventually convinced the authorities that he was not a spy, and they gave him back his underwater photography and SCUBA equipment. The French researchers working on nuclear testing in the area took him on various dives, and had many lovely dinners with Morgan after the work days were done.

Morgan travelled the world, visiting various countries in Europe, but especially enjoyed visiting his dear friend Bent in Denmark. He travelled there several times throughout his life. He has travelled to various pacific islands, Indonesia, and others.

He loved his children, Andy and Shay with all of his being and this was evident from the many ways he supported each of them. He loved to share his passion for aviation with his children, take them to local museums, and to EAA AirVenture every summer. Family vacations often consisted of trips to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina to visit Morgan’s mother and to the children’s maternal grandparents’ home in Wisconsin.Education and lifelong learning were important to Morgan. In addition to his formal education, he took courses through Oxford University in the UK, courses at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and was always looking for textbooks of interest to read. Morgan passed this on to his children through emphasizing the importance of education, summer science courses, engineering expos, and various learning activities at home. Later in life, he became very close friends with Shay’s former math tutor, Gary Nelson, who was also a retired math teacher. Together, they continued their educational pursuits and just plain enjoyed each other’s company!

Morgan is preceded in death by his father Charles Lunsford Ayres Sr., mother Barbara Morgan Wells (née Morgan), brother Thomas Boyd Ayres, and his son Andrew Morgan Ayres. He is survived by his daughter Shay Ayres, grandchildren David, Noah, Kyla, and Shiloh, brother Charles Ayres Jr., niece Jennifer Ayres, and nephew Michael Ayres.A Celebration of Morgan’s Life will be held on December 31st at Cress Funeral Home, 3610 Speedway Road, at 11:30 am. A visitation will be held from 10-11:30 am.

And Daddy, please remember – more right rudder!

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Rd        Madison

608-238-3434