ASHTON, Richard "Dick"
Source: Covington Friend Thursday, July 13, 1978
Richard S. “Dick” Ashton, 36, a former coach at Covington High School and a member of several community organizations, died at 5 p.m. Saturday, July 8, 1978 at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Danville, Ill. He had been a patient there since June 21 and had been ill for six weeks.
Ashton taught for eight years at Covington High, where he coached freshman basketball, varsity baseball and was an assistant football coach until May of 1977.
He was then employed as the personnel director of Interstate Sand and Gravel Co. of Covington.
He was president of the Covington Organization of Professional Educators, a member of the Covington Booster Club, was active in the Covington Little League Program and was coach of the Babe Ruth team, which won the Danville City Championship and placed the first trophy in the new Covington school trophy case.
He was also a member of the Covington United Methodist Church, and past chairman of its administrative board. He was a member of the church’s building committee, board of church trustees, present chairman of the pastor parish committee, and past lay leader.
Born April 3, 1942 in Paoli, he was a son to Morton R. and Mary Elizabeth Feller Ashton of Corydon.
He married Judy Simmons December 19, 1964 in Plainfield, and she survives.
Other survivors include his parents: a son, Rick at home; a daughter, Kathy at home; a brother, M. Sgt. Robert Ashton of Athens, Greece; his paternal grandmother, Mrs. Lillian Ashton of Laconia, Ind.; and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Mrs. And Mrs. Jerry Simmons of Plainfield.
His wife’s sister, Sally, is married to Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John.
Ashton graduated from General Henry H. Arnold High in Wiesbaden, Germany and Indiana State University. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity while at I.S.U., where he received his BA degree in English and French in 1964. He received his masters degree in 1971.
He taught for two years at the Sarah Scott Junior High School in Terre Haute, and two years at Fountain Central High School.
He began teaching at Covington in the fall of 1969, teaching English and French. He was varsity baseball coach for three years and assistant football coach all eight years. He was co-director of the Junior-Senior class plays all eight years. He sponsored a student trip to Europe through the French Club.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Covington United Methodist Church with the Rev. Robert H. Miller officiating. Burial will be in the Mount Hope Cemetery. Visitation will be from 7-9 p.m. Monday and from 2-5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the DeVerter Funeral Home, Covington. The body will be taken to the church one hour before services.
The family has requested that memorial be made in the form of Contributions to the Covington Citizen Scholarship Foundation in memory of Dick Ashton. – thanks to S