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Calls outside of office hours? No worries! Our team will respond within 10–15 minutes.
Services
Friends may visit with Marilyn’s family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, May 3, 2015 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
Marilyn J. Ashton, age 78, of Wayne, died on Thursday, April 23, 2015.
Born in Newark, Marilyn moved to Packanack Lake at age five. After graduating from Wayne High School in 1955, she attended Montclair State Teacher’s College on a nursing scholarship. She eventually left Montclair State to take a job in accounting in New York City.
Marilyn was married to Thomas Ashton at Packanack Community Church. She lived in Clifton and, at this time, welcomed the first of her four sons into her life: Allen “Tom”. The family moved to Arkansas where three more boys were welcomed as Marilyn gave birth to Andrew and later to twins: James and John. She and the boys eventually returned to NJ, settling for a time in the family home in Packanack Lake and eventually moving to her present home in Wayne where she lived for the past thirty-six years.
To provide for her four boys, Marilyn worked various jobs but primarily, she was a bookkeeper, mostly with Rotenberg Meril, Certified Public Accountants in Saddle Brook. Her career as a bookkeeper spanned a total of thirty-six years.
Marilyn derived some of her greatest joy from her life-long passion for photography. Whenever she got the chance, she’d venture out to all parts of New Jersey, especially down the Jersey Shore in Sandy Hook or upstate to New York’s magnificent Adirondacks region with long-time friend Robin and second family, the Dwyers, in pursuit of capturing that perfect sunrise or sunset. She loved photographing the magnificence of the sun but she also enjoyed capturing many of the other beauties of nature such as birds and small animals in their natural habitats, and trees, flowers, beautiful blue skies and the ocean. Marilyn was also a talented painter who enjoyed building and painting bird houses for her feathered friends and also painting waterfowl decoys. Every week, when it was just time to kick back and relax, Marilyn loved the tradition of getting together for dinner with her good friend Merlann and her dear brother Jeff. She enjoyed the light-heartedness of these dinner times – just sharing what was going on in each other’s lives lately.
There was only one thing that Marilyn loved more than photography and that was her family. As a single mom, she worked very hard to provide a loving, stable home for her four boys. Nothing made her more proud and contented than seeing them grow up to establish good lives for themselves with families of their own. Becoming a grandmother was one of the sweetest joys of her life and she relished the times that she could spend with her grandchildren. Her house was always filled with toys and things for those kids to do and, quite frankly, it didn’t matter what they wanted to do – Marilyn just wanted to spend time with them, watching them love all that life had to offer them, and seeing them grow through each phase of their own young lives. Of course, she also loved to photograph them too!
Surviving are her four sons of whom she was so proud: Allen “Tom” and wife Ute Ashton of Wiesbaden, Germany, Andrew and wife Reba Ashton of Newfoundland, James and wife Perla Ashton of Lemon Grove, CA, and John and wife Carolann Ashton of Hamburg; five cherished grandchildren: David, Andrew, Jr., Brooke, John, Jr., and Hunter; and her dear brother Jeffrey Ackerman of Wayne. She was predeceased by dear sister Kathryn Ackerman in 2009.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Marilyn’s name are asked to consider the American Cancer Society, NJ Chapter, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with Marilyn’s family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, May 3, 2015 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
Services
Friends may visit with Marilyn’s family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, May 3, 2015 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.
Marilyn J. Ashton, age 78, of Wayne, died on Thursday, April 23, 2015.
Born in Newark, Marilyn moved to Packanack Lake at age five. After graduating from Wayne High School in 1955, she attended Montclair State Teacher’s College on a nursing scholarship. She eventually left Montclair State to take a job in accounting in New York City.
Marilyn was married to Thomas Ashton at Packanack Community Church. She lived in Clifton and, at this time, welcomed the first of her four sons into her life: Allen “Tom”. The family moved to Arkansas where three more boys were welcomed as Marilyn gave birth to Andrew and later to twins: James and John. She and the boys eventually returned to NJ, settling for a time in the family home in Packanack Lake and eventually moving to her present home in Wayne where she lived for the past thirty-six years.
To provide for her four boys, Marilyn worked various jobs but primarily, she was a bookkeeper, mostly with Rotenberg Meril, Certified Public Accountants in Saddle Brook. Her career as a bookkeeper spanned a total of thirty-six years.
Marilyn derived some of her greatest joy from her life-long passion for photography. Whenever she got the chance, she’d venture out to all parts of New Jersey, especially down the Jersey Shore in Sandy Hook or upstate to New York’s magnificent Adirondacks region with long-time friend Robin and second family, the Dwyers, in pursuit of capturing that perfect sunrise or sunset. She loved photographing the magnificence of the sun but she also enjoyed capturing many of the other beauties of nature such as birds and small animals in their natural habitats, and trees, flowers, beautiful blue skies and the ocean. Marilyn was also a talented painter who enjoyed building and painting bird houses for her feathered friends and also painting waterfowl decoys. Every week, when it was just time to kick back and relax, Marilyn loved the tradition of getting together for dinner with her good friend Merlann and her dear brother Jeff. She enjoyed the light-heartedness of these dinner times – just sharing what was going on in each other’s lives lately.
There was only one thing that Marilyn loved more than photography and that was her family. As a single mom, she worked very hard to provide a loving, stable home for her four boys. Nothing made her more proud and contented than seeing them grow up to establish good lives for themselves with families of their own. Becoming a grandmother was one of the sweetest joys of her life and she relished the times that she could spend with her grandchildren. Her house was always filled with toys and things for those kids to do and, quite frankly, it didn’t matter what they wanted to do – Marilyn just wanted to spend time with them, watching them love all that life had to offer them, and seeing them grow through each phase of their own young lives. Of course, she also loved to photograph them too!
Surviving are her four sons of whom she was so proud: Allen “Tom” and wife Ute Ashton of Wiesbaden, Germany, Andrew and wife Reba Ashton of Newfoundland, James and wife Perla Ashton of Lemon Grove, CA, and John and wife Carolann Ashton of Hamburg; five cherished grandchildren: David, Andrew, Jr., Brooke, John, Jr., and Hunter; and her dear brother Jeffrey Ackerman of Wayne. She was predeceased by dear sister Kathryn Ackerman in 2009.
In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Marilyn’s name are asked to consider the American Cancer Society, NJ Chapter, 20 Mercer Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601.
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