The other day I happened onto the grave of John Samuel Ashton, and was struck by the inscription below his name.
Her Devoted Husband
Our Loving Father
Warehouseman, Clerk, Landlord, Gardener
Tech Sergeant in WWII
A BRAVE GOOD HONORABLE MAN WHO FROM AGE 10, WHEN HE LOST HIS OWN FATHER, WORKED SELFLESSLY FOR HIS FAMILY.
Most people probably wouldn't have celebrated the fact that their father was a warehouseman, but Ashton’s children did. My guess is that they celebrated the smallest, everyday things not because they were proud of the jobs he held, but because he performed his jobs with honor.
I wish I had met John, but I know that there are thousands of Johns out there who selfishly work for their families as John did. I just hope they have a family like he and his wife, Inez, had.
