ASHLEY, Beatrice

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ November 9, 2007 Beatrice Ashley died Nov. 1, 2007, at home. She was born March 24, 1921, in Gallup, N.M. She had a full and colorful life that began as a child during the Great Depression in poor, rural New Mexico while her mother bravely and single-handedly scraped together the resources to feed, clothe and educate her many children, all of whom went on to be successful, talented and brilliant adults. Grandma became a new mother during the height of World War II and spent several years raising her two young daughters abroad in both Japan and Italy during the peaceful post-war years before she returned to the United States. Later in life she was an accomplished entrepreneur, a seasoned realtor, a successful gardener, a doting mother (and grandmother) and a devoted wife to her loving and sweet husband of nearly 43 years, Dave Ashley. Grandma loved spending time in her bountiful garden where she grew an amazing variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. She also adored having her grandchildren visit and often she and Grandpa Dave would host the various grandchildren as they spent assorted summer vacations with them sitting in the rocking chairs on their front porch eating blackberries and sugar snap peas picked from the garden, feeding ducks down at the nearby lake or sweet talking Grandpa into driving them all to the Baskin Robbins for an ice cream cone after dinner. Her grandchildren will miss opening her Christmas goodie boxes, which were always lovingly wrapped and contained numerous smaller wrapped miniature gifts such as a new outfit, holiday candies, imported jams, a watch or necklace and assorted trinkets; and no goodie box was ever complete without the "mandatory" inclusion of a package of Grandma's homemade beef jerky, a new pair of socks, a new toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and a $20 bill, carefully tucked into a handwritten note reminding us that she and Grandpa loved us. Grandma touched many people with her no-nonsense approach to life, her matter-of-fact sense of humor and lack of any pretension and her generosity. She will be deeply and forever missed by those who knew and loved her. Grandma BC was laid to rest Monday, Nov. 5, on a soft bed of autumn leaves taken from her own beloved garden in a private, beautiful ceremony. She is survived by her husband, Dave Ashley; daughters Kay Ganley of Buckeye and Kim Greer of Durango, Colo.; six grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren. Arrangements were handled by Owens Mortuary of Show Low.