Kum Hwa Ashburn

"Golden Flower" Kum Hwa came into this world in Omchong-Myon, Jungwon-Kun, Chungcheongbuk-Do, (Seoul) South Korea in 1959. Known to many as Elizabeth, she walked through the promised door of eternal peace to be with her Lord on Friday, August 7, 2015. Kum Hwa’s unanticipated transition was caused by unrevealed complications of Sjogren’s Syndrome. Kum Hwa was a person of titanic inner resolve. She moved to Colorado as a teenager, where she graduated with distinction from Widefield High School in the Colorado Springs area. Following graduation Kum Hwa became a naturalized citizen and served in the Army and Air Force Exchange Service as a military spouse. Upon relocating to Sarasota, Florida, she entered the legal profession, starting as a receptionist in the law firm of Henry Trawick and completing her career as legal assistant to the senior partner in Dent and McClain. While working at the Dent firm, she met and married Jim Ashburn. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Wiegand Brothers Chapel, 7454 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida on Saturday August 22, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a memorial donation be given in her name to one of the following: Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation, Inc., 6707 Democracy Blvd., Ste 325, Bethesda, MD 20817 (sjogrens.org) or to Grace Covenant Church of Sarasota, Inc., 5318 Colony Meadows Lane, Sarasota, FL 34233. Kum Hwa was deeply loved and is survived by her daughter, Krystal Blanks of Tampa, Florida; her sisters Yong Ok Pratte and Yong Nan Porter, both residents of Virginia; and her spouse.