POULSBO, Wash. — Richard “Dick” Earl Ashley, formerly of Middlebury, was born in Duxbury, Vt., Dec 21, 1932, and died in Poulsbo, Wash., Nov. 7, 2026.
He was predeceased by his parents, Forrest and Vera (Leslie) Ashley of Waterbury, Vt., and Seminole, Fla. He married Virginia “Ginnie” A. Miles in Waterbury, Vt., July 24, 1954, who survives him. They have two children, Mark Ashley of Sequim, Wash., and Karen Ashley Barcomb of Winooski, Vt.; four grandchildren, Mike (Britany) Ashley of Poulsbo, Wash., and Sarah (Ben) Thomas of Poulsbo, Wash., Chelsea (Max) Campolo of Littleton, Colo., and Stephanie (Vinny) Gagliani of Virginia Beach, Va. He also has six great-grandchildren, Jonathan, Savannah, Joshua and Joseph Michael Thomas, and Brielle and Maverick Ashley. Dick is also survived by his sister, Eileen Ashley Chittick of Naples, Fla.
Following graduation from Clark University in Worcester, Mass., Dick worked as a research climatologist for three years at Harvard University before deciding to go into teaching. He was a teaching principal at Bridport, Vt., Elementary School, and taught a variety of subjects at the middle and high school levels, including Earth Science, in Middlebury, Vt., for 15 years before becoming the Principal of the Middle School.
In 1983, he and Ginnie moved to Montpelier, Vt., where he was Principal of the High School. He later worked for the Vermont State Department of Education as a School Improvement Coordinator until his retirement in 1994.
From 1994 to 2014, he and Ginnie traveled extensively. They toured much of the U.S. in an RV they owned in early retirement and have been in 48 of the U.S. states. They toured much of Europe, the Caribbean and Central America, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. After retiring, they lived in Williston, Vt., in the summers, and in Zephyrhills, Fla., in the winters. In 2014, they moved to a permanent home in Poulsbo.
Dick and Ginnie enjoyed square dancing and often played cards with friends and family. They sang in a parkwide chorus and a church choir, and Dick sang in a barbershop chorus. His favorite activities were golf (never good, but always fun) and cribbage. Two of his disappointments in life were never getting a hole-in-one in golf and a 29-hand in cribbage (LOL). He also enjoyed reading, doing word puzzles, and gardening.
Dick became a Mason in 1954 and served as Master of Union Lodge No. 2 in Middlebury, Vt. He is a member of Winooski Lodge No. 49 in Waterbury, Vt., and is an affiliated member of Warren G. Harding Lodge, No. 260, in Poulsbo. He has been a member of the National Geographic Society since 1945. He and Ginnie have been regular attendees of Gateway Fellowship in Poulsbo.
Following cremation, his ashes will be distributed in Lake Champlain in Vermont. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to St. Judes Children’s Hospital or Virgina Mason CHI Franciscan Hospice of University Place, Wash. ◊
