Born and raised in Winter Park, Ashley graduated from Winter Park High School in 1996, majored in Psychology at Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL, and completed an internship at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. In 2000 Ashley began a career in teaching, where she discovered a love for children with special needs. She went back to complete a master’s degree at the University of Central Florida in special education with an emphasis on early childhood development. She spent many years teaching in Orange County Public Schools, including Pershing Elementary, Pine Castle Elementary, and Audubon Park Elementary, the school she attended as a child. She also taught for 2 years at Ralya Elementary in Haslett, Michigan and worked in Christian education in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, both moves to follow her husband’s career before they moved back home to Winter Park in 2020.
In 1999 a fun summer romance with an old high school friend Andrew Minear grew into a 22-year partnership. Ashley and Andrew enjoyed weekly date nights for most of their almost 18 years of marriage until death did them part. Her idea of a perfect date was to dine at a nice restaurant and enjoy focused attention and conversation. They travelled Europe and loved time at the beach. Joy of joys, they had two precious daughters, Clara and Millie, who were truly the light of her life. Ashley was immensely devoted to her family, and for the last 6 years fulfilled her dream of being a full-time mom.
Ashley took pride in making her home beautiful and keeping it immaculately clean. She was a planner, well organized, and meticulous in everything at work and at home. Ashley was known for being especially kind and thoughtful, always remembering the special days of her family and friends and writing nice hand-written thank you notes.
Ashley was a loyal, trusted friend whose care, wisdom, intuition, sense of humor, and authenticity made an enormous impact on the lives of others. She maintained close relationships with a circle of dear lifelong friends. While living in Tuscaloosa, she found special connection with several women who quickly became cherished friends. Ashley’s sister, Lyndsey, looked up to her “Sissy”, and Ashley loved her little sister deeply. Ashley considered her mom a best friend, and they spoke almost daily.
Above all, Ashley modeled a profound and abiding Christian faith. She prayed constantly and felt renewed by church on Sundays and daily walks or sitting on the boat dock at sunrise or sunset, delighting in the spiritual significance of visits from dragonflies, cardinals, and owls. This love of being in God’s creation took root through decades of annual family trips to Sanibel Island and fond childhood memories of her dad guiding her on adventures through Mead Gardens and fishing on Lake Baldwin.
Ashley’s spiritual life sustained her through a 23-month illness. When she learned of her gastric cancer diagnosis, Ashley sought the best available medical treatment and then shifted her focus to myriad integrative medicine and holistic healing methods, which together provided some happy months and treasured time together as a family.
Giving thanks for Ashley’s life are surviving members of her family: her husband, Andrew, daughters, Clara and Emilia “Millie”, parents Lynne and Charles Gill, sister Lyndsey (Alexander) Stubenbort and their two children, Noah and Stella, and numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, in-laws, and loving friends.
A reception with family and friends for Ashley will be held Tuesday, November 30, 2021 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM in the Bridal Parlor at All Saints Episcopal Church of Winter Park (338 East Lyman Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789). The family will also receive friends and family on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM at All Saints (Bridal Parlor) before the funeral service.
A funeral service will be held Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 11:00 AM at All Saints Episcopal Church of Winter Park (338 East Lyman Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789) with interment following in Palm Cemetery (1005 N New York Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789).
In remembrance of Ashley’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to Christ Episcopal Church of Tuscaloosa and to Habitat for Humanity.
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