ASHFORD, The Reverend H. Ray
Born in 1926 in Princeton, BC, the Rev. Ray Ashford, along with his brothers Ian and Glenn, was raised in India, a child of missionary parents. After graduation from high school in Calgary and a year of pre-medical studies, he serviced briefly in the Navy at the close of World War II, then went on to study psychology at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB and later at Columbia University in New York City. His seminarian years were spent at St. Andrew’s Theological College, affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He and his beloved wife Phyllis, also a graduate of Mount Allison University, were married in 1948 and had four children, Keith, Heather, Elizabeth and Timothy. Ordained to the ministry of the United Church of Canada in 1950, he served congregations in locales ranging from the Peace River country of northern Alberta and suburban Calgary to downtown Toronto and Westmount in Montreal. He also served as chairperson of the Department of Student Services (an area that included counselling, health services and student affairs) at Fanshawe College in London, ON and subsequently was the University Chaplain at Mount Allison and the author of seven books. He rejoiced in summers spent at the family island in the North Channel of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay and maintained that he was blessed in “the triad of faith, family and friends.” Predeceased by Phyllis, Timothy, and Elizabeth, and by his brothers Ian and Glenn, he is survived by Keith, his wife Marilyn (nee Eves) and their now multi-generational family, and by Heather, her husband David Dillenbeck and their extended family as well. A memorial service, followed by a reception will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 2:00pm at the JAMES REID FUNERAL HOME, 1900 John Counter Blvd., Kingston. For those who wish, donations may be made to the charity of your choice and would be greatly appreciated by the family.