Joan Ashford Obituary

JOAN BEVERLY ASHFORD After 22 long years apart, Bev Ashford rejoined the love of her life, Clinton "Tink" Ashford, on October 25, 2023. While her family and friends miss her deeply, we are comforted by knowing that she is once more with her beloved husband, probably playing cribbage. Bev was born in Detroit, and as a young child moved to Hawai'i with her mother, Vera. They arrived in Honolulu aboard the Lurline on Bev's seventh birthday. She and Vera were greeted at the dock by a friend of Vera's, and also by Frank Schumm, the man who would become her new and dear father. Bev grew up in Waikiki, reveling in the outdoor life that a childhood in the Islands can provide. She often told stories of that time, including her thrifting ways during the Depression, when she gathered cans from beneath hotels, sold magazine subscriptions, and scavenged royal palm blossoms when the trees were trimmed to sell them to the front desk of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for 50 cents. She became a member of the Outrigger Canoe Club and was proud to recount her days of tandem surfing the waves of Waikiki and playing beach volleyball with Duke Kahanamoku. Bev attended Punahou School and graduated in 1944. Bev and Tink met in high school, but World War II separated them. Bev eventually moved to Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania with her parents and graduated from the University of Michigan. Tink was also at Michigan, attending law school after serving in the Pacific in World War II. Bev cherished their correspondence during the War and in the time they were separated before she finished at Ann Arbor and returned to Honolulu. There Bev worked in advertising for KGMB radio before marrying Tink in 1951. As Tink took up his law career, Bev concentrated on volunteer work and raising their family. She yearned to earn her master's in history at the University of Hawaii, but each time she would return to classes, she would find herself once again hapai. Finally, Bev and Tink decided that she had earned sufficient graduate credits. Bev worked tirelessly in the community. She volunteered as a transcriptionist and editor for a local psychiatrist, then turned to helping out at Child & Family Service. As their children entered school, she focused on volunteering at Punahou, where she served as parent chair for Punahou Carnival 1973 and was President of the Punahou Alumni Association in 1976-77. Throughout this period Bev also volunteered at KCAA's Thrift Shop at Mother Rice Pre-School, which she eventually managed for many years. Bev and Tink loved to fish and to travel, particularly sailing through the Pacific on Kanaloa and later on their own Nanea No. On their travels they loved discovering new plants, which they would bring back to their home in Kane'ohe. Bev loved her dachshunds, reading mystery novels, and spending time on Moloka'i and at Halekou with her family. We are deeply grateful for the loving care her son Bruce provided in Bev's final years. Bev is survived by her children, Marguerite Ashford-Hirano (Ron Hirano), Frank, Bruce, and James (Lisa Redell) and her six grandchildren, Clinton Hirano, Emily Hirano (Mike Chang), Nathaniel, William, Lauren, and Ellen. Private services will be held. Arrangements Provided By: Oahu Mortuary