He died Tuesday, Nov. 25, at his home.
He was born Nov. 7, 1914, to Carl Frederick Ashe and Katie McLellan Ashe in Sharon, Pa. He married Patricia Hope Hagaman in 1942. He graduated from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1942. He completed his internship at Passavant Memorial Hospital in Chicago and his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He specialized in thoracic surgery and performed the first open-heart surgery at Children’s Hospital in Dallas.
He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, serving on the Battleship USS Wisconsin and a veteran of the Korean Conflict, where he served as a medic. He remained in the Naval Reserves, serving his last duty at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Once he moved to Salado, he worked at the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center in Temple. He was president of the Salado Chamber of Commerce, which carried mayoral duties before incorporation, and the first President of the Salado Historical Society. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sibby Slaton.
Survivors include his wife of 66 years of Salado; a son, Bill Ashe of Dallas; two daughters, Sue Wetsel of Portland, Ore., and Kay Wood of Fort Worth; a brother, John Ashe of Chicago; a sister, Ruth Saparito of Florida; 12 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 841125, Dallas, Texas 75281-1125.
Broecker Funeral Home of Salado is in charge of arrangements.
