Janice Elizabeth Goodman Ashley's Obituary
Our precious mother, grandma, and great grandma, Janice Elizabeth Goodman Ashley, completed her earthly journey on Friday, December 9, 2022 following a brief battle with pneumonia and Covid.
Janice was born on March 12, 1930 in Los Angeles, California. She was the youngest child of native Texans Rush Buchanan Goodman and Myrtle Selma Hardesty Goodman. She was well loved by older brother Morris and big sister Arlene, both of whom Janice greatly admired and cherished.
In 1948, Janice graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Los Angeles. She continued her education at CSU Fresno, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English, with a minor in Education. While attending Fresno State, she met and fell in love with Thomas Ashley. They married on June 21, 1952 in Fullerton, California.
Janice spent summers in between her college studies in the town of Merced. She was briefly employed as a telephone operator, and also worked as a proofreader for a local newspaper. While in college, Janice enjoyed singing with campus choirs and attending dances. This girl knew how to “cut a rug”, and happily danced the Charleston, Swing, Samba, Rumba, and Jitterbug.
Following college, she taught 6th grade before starting a family. She and our father were blessed with the arrival of twins Peter and Cindy while she and Tom were stationed at Cherry Point Marine Corps base in Havelock, North Carolina. Daughter Susan joined the family about 19 months later. After 5 more years, daughter Karen completed the family.
Selfless and gracious, Janice devoted herself wholeheartedly to her family and to her role as a homemaker. She brightened our home with her cheerfulness and optimism. She was a wonderful cook and we loved her delicious meals and cookies. She taught us, through both her words and example, to be honest, friendly, helpful, and to treat each other with kindness and respect.
Our mother loved to read and to watch sports. She also had a lifelong love for music, especially singing and dancing. Some of her favorite movies were musicals, and she could often be heard either humming or singing those tunes throughout her long life, even in the late stages of her dementia.
Janice had a tender heart, and could often be moved to tears by a lovely song, painting, or the beauty of nature.
After Karen left for college, Janice hosted several foreign exchange students in her Davis, California home. She loved learning about their cultures and customs, as well as providing a welcome haven for them during their time in the States.
Our mother was a devout Catholic and actively participated in that faith. She loved singing in the choir at her local church. She had great faith in God and in Jesus Christ. She always strove to be obedient to God’s commandments, and it was evident in the way she treated others, whether strangers or friends.
We are immensely blessed to have had such a sweet and loving mother, and such an amazing example after which to pattern our lives. We will forever honor and cherish her life, as well as the many tender memories we have of her. May God watch over and bless you, dear Mother, until we meet again.
Janice is survived by son Peter (Aileen) Ashley, Los Angeles, CA; daughter Cindy (Greg) Lee, Gardnerville, NV; daughter Susan Ashley, Verona, Italy; and daughter Karen (Barry) Braithwaite, Perry, UT. She is survived by 12 cherished grandchildren, as well as 16 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings, former husband (Thomas), and grandchild Scott Braithwaite.
We wish to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our sister, Cindy, and her husband, Greg, for welcoming our mother into their home after signs of dementia became apparent. Cindy patiently and tenderly cared for our Mother for several years as her dementia progressed, and was an angel to accept the burden of providing so much of her personal care and needs. God bless you immensely, Cindy, for the depth of your many sacrifices in our Mother’s behalf.
We would also like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the many caretakers, techs, doctors, and nurses at the Auberge in North Ogden, Utah who lovingly and patiently cared for Mom during the last 10 months of her life.
We are also grateful to the nurses and staff of Bristol Hospice, for their tender care of and concern for our Mother during the last month of her life.
The family will gather for a celebration of Janice’s life in Yucca Valley, California in April of 2023.
What’s your fondest memory of Janice?
What’s a lesson you learned from Janice?
Share a story where Janice's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Janice you’ll never forget.
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