Ann W. (Walker) Ashman

Ann Marie Walker Ashman passed away peacefully at her home on Grub Hill Farm on September 12, 2016 surrounded by the love of her devoted husband, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brothers, and sisters.

     Ann (Meme) thoroughly enjoyed being a wife, mother, and grandmother. She grew up on a tobacco farm in Namozine, Virginia in a large family. She learned the importance early of cooking, gardening, working on the farm, and caring for the family from her mother and father, Carson and Ada Walker.  Along with her brothers and sisters; Mary, Olivia, Joyce, Buzzy, Lucy and Bob, they all learned the most important things in life were simply enjoying each other's company, family dinners, weddings, births, and most of all celebrating each others' accomplishments. 

     In 1959, Ann married the love of her life Tyrone Eddie Ashman, Sr.  Together they worked to continue the family's farm which was established in 1902 known as "Grub Hill Farm."    They had three beautiful children; Tyrone, Tammy, and Johnny.  Ann worked at a garment factory while raising her children.  Later when the first grandchild Jason arrived, she stayed home and worked as the farm bookkeeper while Eddie operated the farm with his father and two sons. Soon Meme would have nine grandchildren in all; Erika, Rocky, Selena, Dusty, Mallory, Monica, Torie, and Jordan. Meme loved them all throughout the year. But the one time of year that she worked for months to prepare for them was Christmas!  The shopping, decorating, wrapping was all worth it to her to see the eyes of her grandchildren light up Christmas Eve.  Soon that holiday tradition could be seen through the eyes of her great-grandchildren; Abigail, Kellie, Jon-Colin, Zachary, Penelope, Logan, Charleston, Leann, Harvest, Bronson, and Jarvis. 

    Alas spring would arrive along with her favorite hobby of gardening, she would take great delight working in a garden of vegetables or in flower beds. God always blessed her with an abundance of food to can and freeze for her family and flowers to adorn her home.  Often a visitor would arrive around lunch to see the men on the farm cooked a delicious dinner capped off by a cake or pie prepared by scratch from her loving hands.  Or maybe a passerby would see her bent over in the flower garden from the road and think to himself, "My what beautiful flowers."  As a family, we all understood every flower in her garden counts; therefore, be careful because what you may think is a weed can actually grow into a beautiful flower.  Ann treated her family like flowers. Each one counted and each one was given the love to blossom by her loving care.

   Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 15, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Grub Hill Church with interment in the church cemetery.  The family will receive friends Wednesday night from 6 until 8:30 p.m. at the Hillsman Hix Funeral Home.  Memorial contributions may be made to the Amelia Relay for Life or Grub Hill Church Cemetery Fund, 12690 N. Lodore Road, Amelia, VA 23002.

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