Jonathan Ashby Lord

Jonathan Ashby Lord, 35, died at home in Atlanta April 9, 2017, after a long struggle with myotonic dystrophy and drug addiction. Born in Atlanta on July 18, 1981, Ashby was the son of Larry Lord and the late Shannon Miller Lord and the stepson of Peggy Walton-Walker Lord.

Ashby graduated from The Galloway School, Class of 2000, in Atlanta where the arts faculty recognized his exceptional creativity in ceramics and painting. Ashby also excelled in soccer, playing both for Galloway and Concorde Fire Soccer Club in a highly competitive environment. He was co-captain of the Galloway team his senior year and was selected to the All-State team. Ashby’s club team played at the highest level of youth soccer, twice travelling with his team to play local and professional youth teams in England.

Despite Ashby’s valiant struggle to overcome his drug addiction, the scourge of myotonic dystrophy coupled with addiction became a barrier to his creativity and athleticism. Fortunately, this never interfered with Ashby’s love of animals for which he had a special magnetism or his particular talent for making friends with a wide variety of people.

He is survived by his father, Larry Lord, brother, Hunter Thomson Lord, and stepmother, Peggy Walton-Walker Lord all of Atlanta; uncles, Wayne Lord of Denver, Colorado; Harold Crenshaw “Pokey” Miller, Jr. of Daphne, Alabama; David Miller of Mobile, Alabama; William Ross “Bebo” Miller of Robbinsville, North Carolina; and, an aunt, Katie Miller Farnell, of Fairhope, Alabama.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, April 13th at 11:00 am at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 435 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, Georgia. The family will receive friends after the service in the Parish Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Hunter Fund at the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation, 1004A O'Reilly Avenue, San Francisco, California 94129.