Fern E. Ashby

Fern E. Ashby passed away at home in Arlington, Virginia March 14, 2012 at the age of 92 due to deteriorating health. She is survived by her daughter, Genette Ashby-Beach ( Raymond Beach), and grandsons Jonathan and Peter Beach; and son DeWitt Ashby (Maiko), and granddaughter Claire Ashby. Her late husband, Dr. Lowell Ashby, died in 2003.

Born April 9, 1919 in Massillon, Ohio to parents Harry and Florence Eschliman, she graduated from Washington High School (Massillon) and Oberlin College (1941) with a BA in mathematics. While a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, she met Lowell Ashby. They were married in Madison, Wisconsin on January 30, 1942. She worked at the War Production Board’s Minerals Bureau while Lowell served as a naval officer in North Africa, Italy and France. In late 1945 she began her teaching career in Madison as an instructor for returning World War II veterans. Subsequently she was a computer programmer at the Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina.

She resumed her teaching career at Mount Vernon Seminary in Washington, D.C., and taught until 1981 at George Mason Junior-Senior High School in Falls Church, Virginia. An active member of Delta Kappa Gamma and the Crystal Springs Study Club, she enjoyed family time, gardening, and sewing. Memorial service plans will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice.