Anniversary of Ash, Boyd and Marian - Comanche County, Oklahoma Thanks to http://www.chickashanews.com/ for permission to upload their obits to the USGenWeb Archives. © The Chickasha Express-Star 18 Feb 2007 Transcribed by: Sandi Carter Return to Comanche County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/comanche/comanche.html ===================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ===================================================================== The Chickasha Express-Star Sunday, 20 June 2004 ASHES TO CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY Boyd and Marian Ash, 23-year residents of Chickasha, Okla., will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this Sunday, June 20, 2004, at the USAO Ballroom from 2 until 4 p.m. Family, friends, and acquaintances are invited to greet them and to extend congratulations. The Ashes were married on Father's Day, June 20, 1954, at the First Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Ill., by Mrs. Ash's father, the Rev. Dr. Elmer E. Freed. They moved to Chickasha in 1982, when the Rev. Boyd D. Ash became minister of the local Presbyterian Church, where he served for over nine years before retiring. The Ashes have four children: Stephen, Philip, Denise, and Mark, all of whom are married and have homes and children of their own. In addition to their four children, the Ashes have 11 grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Rev. Ash was born in Chattanooga, Okla., and Marian Ash was born in Denver, Colo. They met at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, where both were enrolled to become theological leaders in the Presbyterian Church, he as a congregational minister and teacher, and she as a musician and director of Christian education. From Chicago, they moved to Kansas, where they served four Presbyterian churches and lived for nearly 30 years. In 1981, Rev. Ash was called to be the minister of the English- speaking congregation in Tripoli, Libya, but political differences between the United States and Libya forced that contract to be canceled. They moved to Chickasha because Oklahoma was the place where Rev. Ash's family lived. During their tenure as minister and wife of the First Presbyterian Church in Chickasha, they were both active in local organizations and the social life of the community. Following retirement, Rev. Ash continued teaching at Oklahoma City University, where he has been for the past 15 years. During his retirement, the Ashes have served six Presbyterian churches in Indian Nations Presbytery as an interim minister. Though they have continued to live in Chickasha, they have had temporary homes in Shawnee, Lawton, Altus, Ardmore, Oklahoma City, and Pauls Valley, as Rev. Ash helped those congregations call new ministers. During their 50 years, the Ashes have spent seven summers in Scotland, where Rev. Ash was working for the Church of Scotland on what might be called a working holiday. Their most interesting summer was spent in the Shetland Islands, where they served 12 different Scottish churches by preaching three times each Sunday, conducting weddings, funerals, and performing other duties of a minister of the Christian religion. The Ashes have taken annual vacations since their marriage and have been able to visit all 50 of the United States, with the exception of Alaska. They have led several trips abroad, including two trips to Israel. On these holidays, they have visited many of the countries of Europe plus Canada and Mexico. This has created a wonderful 50 years of life together and has made many friends in the United States, in Europe, and especially in Scotland. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Comanche County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/comanche/comanche.html