In Memorium - Ray Ashley

From rayashley.com

"Pennington (New Jersey) - Raymond F. Ashley, 41, passed away on Thursday evening, May 28, 2009, at Somerset Medical Center in Somerville.

Born in Plainfield, NJ, Ray resided in South Plainfield through high school and had been living in Pennington. He was a 1985 graduate of St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen, earned a BS in Chemistry from Union College in Schenectady, NY, and a masters in Environmental Science from NJIT.

Ray was a compassionate and caring young man who had numerous interests. He participated in the ROTC program and served in the US Navy aboard the destroyer escort USS Pharris. In addition, he enjoyed running, homebrewing, volunteered in teaching English as a second language, spoke Russian, and was an avid Mets fan."

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    I first met Ray when he attended the 2002 NAMM show as a guest of Warr Guitars. He owned a Warr 11-string, but had a particular fondness for his ADG-10. His knowledge covered many subjects (please see the link above for more details on Rays life and interests), and I most remember his command of several languages, including Russian and French, his lecture on the composer Borodin at the 2004 E-tap seminar in Belgium, and the incredible Imperial Stout that he made from scratch, which he brought to Belgium for everyone to sample.

   In 2006 he came to E-tap with an accordion, an instrument that had caught his attention in recent years, and showed a clear command of the instrument after only a short time playing it. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the touch-guitar world, and a robust sense of humor. In other words, great company while sitting in a bar and drinking a brew in Southern Belgium.

  I was always grateful for his help and advice on my trips to Europe and otherwise, and was proud to call him a friend.

jw

Ray performing at Art-O-Base in Brussels 2004, and in Neufchateau with the accordion in 2006.