James Hodge Ashley, died unexpectedly on Sunday, November 10, 2019. James is survived by his daughter, Nicole 27 and sons, Jens 16 and Joseph 13, and his siblings Marian Ashley and Katherine Ashley Ward. He is preceded in death by his parents, Rhoda Jane Nielson Ashley and William Thomas Ashley and his brother, Thomas Nielson Ashley.
James was born on September 23, 1969 to Bill and Rhoda Ashley and was the youngest of four children. He carried the distinction of being the baby of the family his entire life. He enjoyed playing sports and lettered in football and tennis in High School. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1997 with a degree in Economics with a minor in International Business.
He served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Japan Tokyo South Mission. His mission helped him to develop a fluency in speaking Japanese, which opened many doors for work. He had many opportunities to work for Japanese companies that took him to locations all over the world. But the place he wanted to be most was close to his children and had recently resettled in Marietta, GA to be near his boys.
James had a gift working with people and could always find a way to make them smile. He loved movies with a quirky sense of humor or martial arts and has influenced more than one family member’s Netflix recommendation list. If you were privileged, he would share his Noble Collection with you, including such masterpieces as Tombstone, Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Army of Darkness and Highlander. He has been known to shed a tear or two when watching Deadpool 2. He is remembered by family and friends as kind, funny, smart and always able to make those around him laugh and for being our Huckleberry. “Got ‘im!”
James was happiest when he was with those he loved. He was loved by his family and will be dearly missed by them. Jens and Joseph share the following thoughts about him:
"My Dad was one of the best dads in the world. He was so like me and my brother and I could always say what I wanted to say to him without being nervous. He might not have been the best influence, but he was just an all-around stand-up guy that could put a smile on anyone’s face. I loved him with my life, even now I know he's still making people smile.
He loved to play video games with us and tried to keep up. It was nice to play, no matter where he was, we were able to connect.
Just hanging out with my Dad were some of the best memories, especially going to Toys R Us as kids. Even if we didn’t buy anything, just talking and having fun with my Dad were some of my fondest memories."
A family memorial was held on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at H.M. Patterson and Son – Canton Hill Chapel, 1157 Old Canton Road NE, Marietta, GA. He will be interred at Arlington Memorial Park, Sandy Springs, GA.
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