Onset – Emerson Ashley, aged 86, of Onset and formerly of East Freetown and Welaka, FL, passed away peacefully at home from lung cancer on January 16, 2011. Born in Acushnet, he was son of the late Karl J. and Maria E. (Ashley) Ashley. A loving husband and father, he is survived by his wife of 65 years, Emelie J. (Protin) Ashley; a daughter: Charlene Ashley of Wayne, PA; 3 sons: James E. Ashley of Rochester, MA, Michael G. Ashley of Barton, VT and Herbert W. Ashley of West Wareham; 2 brothers: Theodore C. Ashley and Karl J. Ashley, Jr., both of East Freetown; 7 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; and several nieces & nephews. A daughter, Joan Ashley Storandt, and a son, George E. Ashley predeceased him.
A veteran of WWII, Mr. Ashley trained as a Navy pilot and later flew air-sea rescue patrols off the east coast of the United States as a pilot for the Coast Guard. After the war he grew turkeys and cranberries in East Freetown in partnership with his brothers. In his retirement he enjoyed captaining his boat on local waters and on the Inland Waterway between Cape Cod and northern Florida. The last of his boats was a labor of love that was custom built with participation from his lifelong friends and family.
Funeral services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601.