Susan Bridgers Ashley, 69, passed away on May 30th 2013 at Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, North Carolina.  She was born on October 30th 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland to James Kelly and Susan McLean Bridgers.

Susan grew up in Aberdeen, North Carolina and graduated from Aberdeen High School in 1961.  She then attended college at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, NC, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education and was a member of the St. Andrews Playmakers.  She did post-graduate work at Western Carolina University.  She started her teaching career in Elizabeth City, NC and Virginia Beach, VA and then spent most of her professional life at Flat Rock Junior High, which later became Flat Rock Middle School in Flat Rock, NC.  After teaching for more than 37 years, Susan retired in 2002, yet still worked part-time at Blue Ridge Community College in the Star Center, helping students get their GEDs.

After meeting in a play at the Elizabeth City Playhouse, where Susan was an actress and her future husband was a producer, Susan married John McCall Ashley in December of 1968 in Aberdeen, NC. They were happily married for 36 years, until her husband’s death in 2004.

Susan was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where she was very active in church events, committees, and a long-time member of the Alma Lee Chaves Sunday School Class. She enjoyed traveling with her friends, working out, knitting, reading, and spending time with her family.

Susan was preceded in death by her husband, John McCall Ashley and parents, James Kelly and Susan McLean Bridgers.

Susan is survived by her sons and daughter, John Ashley, Erika Ashley-Handy, her husband Jonathan, and James Ashley of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richard Halford, his wife Marie, and their son, Adam in Hendersonville, North Carolina; her sisters, Elizabeth Mofield, her husband, Gary Mofield of Aberdeen, North Carolina and Nancy Battle and E. Griggs Smith of Atlanta, Georgia; her nieces Kelly Mofield, her husband, Dr. Bryan Blair, their children, Graham, Seamus, Henry, Joseph, and Charlie of Chappaqua, New York and Susannah Mofield Palmer and her husband Michael Palmer of New York City, New York.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, 204 6th Ave W, Hendersonville, NC  28739 at 11AM, June 8th, 2013.  The family will be greeting friends and relatives an hour before the service at 10AM, June 8th, 2013 in the Alma Lee Chaves Room in the First United Methodist Church.

The teachers and administration at Flat Rock Middle School bestowed a great honor on Susan by creating an award, given to the 7th grader, who has made the greatest change in his or her personal and academic life, called the Susan B. Ashley Determination Award.  The family is extremely grateful and cannot think of a more aptly named award in connection with their mother.  To continue Susan’s phenomenal spirit of perseverance in encouraging her students to achieve their highest potential, the family would like to start helping sponsor the award by creating a fund.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Susan B. Ashley Determination Award Fund, 565 Pine Ridge Place, Raleigh, NC  27609 or by stopping by any Wells Fargo Bank and mentioning the name of the award. Condolences may be left on Susan Bridgers Ashley’s online guest book at http://www.forevermissed.com/susan-b-ashley.