Obituary of James Ashley

Ashley, James Herbert Norman Jim passed away in peace and with dignity at his home in Whitby, with his beloved wife and best friend, Joanne, at his side, on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in his 81st year. Loved and missed by his children, Stephen (Diane) Ashley of Mississauga, Mary Jane (Charlie) Aubie of Windsor, N.S., Margot (Jim) Shulist of Whitby, Karen (Frank) Ashley-Woo of Buckhorn, Liz (Eric) Hadley of Truro, N.S., and his step-children, Julie (Chris) Brandl of London, Scott (Kathy) Siersma of Whitby, and Shelley Siersma of Oshawa. Proud grandfather of Sarah (David) Purdy, Jenn and Aaron Ashley, Michael (Karissa) Aubie, Ashley (Joel) Aubie, Rachel Shulist, Issac (Jen) Woo, Zachary and Lexie Woo, Ashleigh, John Eric and Makayla Hadley, Tim and Rob Brandl, Tyler, Ryan, and Brayden Siersma. Great grandfather of six. Born in Oshawa, on October 7, 1932, Jim was a quiet and gentle man with an amazing musical gift. He played sax and clarinet in jazz bands in his youth and for many years arranged choral music and directed the County Town Singers, Sounds Great, and the Notables, as well as, the Oshawa Little Theatre, Town Hall 1873, Port Perry, and Whitby Courthouse Theatre, for which he won an Actra Award. He was recently honoured as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation. Special thanks to Durham CCAC, St. Elizabeth and ParaMed Home Health Care Services, and especially Amanda, for their excellent and compassionate care for Jim during the past month. The family of Jim Ashley will receive friends at the DeStefano Funeral Home, 1289 Keith Ross Drive, Oshawa, ON (south side of Taunton Road, just east of Thornton Road) 905-440-3595, on Sunday, July 14th , from 2-4 an 7-9 p.m. A Service of Celebration will be held in the DeStefano Chapel on Monday, July 15th at 11 a.m. If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, or to the Neil Murkar Foundation. Memories and condolences can be shared at destefanofuneralhomes.ca