In Memoriam

Audrey Waite Ashley
1925-2024

ITHACA—Audrey Waite Ashley, age 98, of Kendal at Ithaca, died on March 28, 2024. Mrs. Ashley was born in Yonkers, New York on April 16, 1925, the only child of Helen Guest and Stanley Byron Waite. She grew up in Bronxville, New York, spending her summers at a family home in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod.  

Audrey was proud of her ancestors and the role they played in the history of our country. They included three Mayflower passengers, as well as Thomas Hinckley, the last governor of Plymouth Colony, and Benjamin Wait, whose wife and three daughters were captured by Native Americans in western Massachusetts in 1677, taken in winter to Canada, and subsequently rescued.  

Audrey Waite graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, a member of the Class of 1946. She majored in Spanish and minored in French. She was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa. In order to help with the war effort, Audrey participated in an accelerated program that allowed her to graduate from Smith in three years. After the war ended in the fall of 1945, Audrey went to work in New York City. She used her language skills while employed, first at an import-export firm and then as an executive assistant to the VP of RCA, who was also the managing director of RCA International. 

In 1948, Audrey Waite married Dr. Charles Allen Ashley, a friend from Bronxville. Dr. Ashley was a graduate of Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences and the Cornell University Medical School. Dr. Ashley completed his military service as assistant chief of pathology at Walter Reed Army Hospital. His work then took them to Cooperstown, New York, where he was employed as an attending pathologist at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. In 1967, Dr. Ashley was appointed director and CEO of the Bassett Hospital. The couple were active members in all aspects of the Cooperstown community. Audrey was most proud of their work to provide a warm welcome to incoming hospital staff. They entertained regularly in their home on the hospital’s behalf. Audrey was an enthusiastic and gracious hostess, as well as an excellent cook.  

The Ashleys raised their five children in Cooperstown. Audrey was a devoted mother. She and her husband surrounded their children with love and support. Audrey loved her life in Cooperstown. She was a tireless volunteer who was especially devoted to Christ Church (Episcopal), the Lake and Valley Garden Club, and the Garden Club of America. She was a leader for her daughters’ Girl Scout troops and for her son’s Cub Scouts. She also served eight years on the President’s Advisory Council of the State University College of Oneonta.  

Audrey and Charles Ashley were avid hikers before it was common; they were early members of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers (with all their children), and of the Northeastern 111 Club. Audrey was the 16th woman on record to have climbed all 111 peaks over 4,000 feet in the Northeast. They also hiked together extensively in Europe and America’s west. They enjoyed traveling throughout the world.  

After celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary with friends and family at their home in  Cooperstown, the Ashleys moved in 1999 to Kendal, a continuing care community in Ithaca, New York. Audrey’s beloved husband of 53 years died in 2001. She was to forever miss him. Audrey was active in many aspects of life at Kendal and in Ithaca, particularly enjoying bridge groups at all levels. She continued to travel with friends and family members and visited her children and grandchildren frequently, spending holidays and vacations with them. Audrey spent six weeks every winter on Gasparilla Island (Boca Grande), Florida, a place that had been special to her and her husband. She always invited her family to join her—and they loved to do so. 

Audrey’s large family was her greatest joy and pride. Through her kindness and generosity, she brought immeasurable happiness and comfort to all who knew her. She will long be remembered for her gracious wit, her unwavering optimism, and her open-mindedness and sincere warmth in this often divided world. 

She is survived by her five children and their spouses: Dr. Stanley W. Ashley of Cambridge, Massachusetts and his partner, Dr. Esther Rhei; Charlotte Chandler and Dr. James L. Clarke of Bangor, Maine; Deborah C.A. Doro, RN of Rochester, New York; Barbara A. and Harry A. Griffith III of Wexford, Pennsylvania; and Drs. Lucy and Philip Sheils of Rochester, New York. 

Also surviving are 21 grandchildren and their spouses/partners, nine great-grandsons and six great-granddaughters. She was predeceased by her husband, Charles Allen Ashley, MD., her grandson, MSG (Ret.) Harry Augustus Griffith IV, and by her infant daughter, Audrey Pennock Ashley.  

Those wishing to honor her memory may contribute to the Friends of Bassett Healthcare, 1 Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326; Cornell University Office of Donor Relations, 130 East Seneca Street, Suite 400, Ithaca, NY 14850; Weill Cornell Medical College, Office of External Affairs, 1300 York Avenue, Box 314, New York, NY 10065; or, Smith College, Development Office, 33 Elm Street, Northampton, MA 01063.

The family is in the process of arranging services and will announce details soon.

Online condolences at www.bangsfuneralhome.com