Joan Ashley

ASHLEY, Joan
Kalamazoo Just after midnight on Sunday, the 22nd of March, Joan Ellen Ashley passed away peacefully at Rose Arbor Hospice, after a courageous battle with lung cancer. At the time of her death, she was sixty years old and living in Kalamazoo, MI. Joan was born in 1949, the youngest of eleven siblings, to Wilma and William McCartney in Muskegon, MI. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers, Bill, Bob and Dave and her sisters, Ruth, Mary, Anne, Jane and Jill. Joan was a graduate of Muskegon High School, Class of 1967. She diligently worked her way up from a custodial position at Western Michigan University to become one of the first woman in management for facilities maintenance and then retired as the Manager of the WMU apartments. In her work, as in life, she was committed to making better the lives of others. Joan was a dedicated and long time member of the Democratic Party and her work on their campaigns was passionate and tireless. Those who knew Joan best will remember her for many things; her infectious laugh, her beautiful gardens, her eye for style, her enormous capacity to give, her fantastic cooking, her warmth, her compassion, her need to have everything "just so", her ability to see the good in anyone and her propensity to 'adopt' and care for anyone who needed it at the time. She is survived by her sisters, Judy Carl Rosenberg and Janice Tony Nana of Muskegon; her many nieces and nephews who span the globe; her husband Gerald Reilly of Kalamazoo, her daughter, Elizabeth Walter Dana of Kalamazoo; and her beautiful grandson, Jaden, who brought her immeasurable joy. Memorial services will be held on Friday, March 27, 2009, at 11:00 AM in the Unity Church of Kalamazoo, 1204 Whites Road with Rev. Marty Newman officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the American Cancer Society. Arrangements by Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Westside Chapel, 3926 S. 9th St. www.langelands.com 343-1508