Richard Eugene Ast

86, of Worcester, died Thursday, October 25, 2007, in The Meadows of Leicester, after an illness. His wife, Pauline (Milstead) Ast died in 1990. He was son of the late Richard O. and Eugenie (Stecher) Ast. He leaves his son, Gary Richard Ast and his wife Joan Quenneville of Hingham; his daughter, Genie LaBrie and her husband Steven of Leicester; a sister, Charlotte Branch Vanderspek of Tucson, AZ; 5 grandchildren, Toni Jeane Bocz, Julianne Quenneville Ast, Jeffrey Quenneville Ast, Evan Robert LaBrie and Rachael Pauline LaBrie; nephews and nieces, Bobby and Jim Higdon and Betty (Higdon) Grant; beloved cousins and lifelong friends, Peter and Simone Horenstein of Rockville Center, NY, and their family; grandnieces and nephews. A daughter, Patsy Ann (Wilhoite) Bocz of Islip, NY, a sister, Elizabeth Stier of Washington, DC, and cherished friends, Edward and Marian "Honey" Corwin of Bay Shore, NY all predeceased him. Richard was born between the wars on February 1, 1921 in Darmstadt, Germany. He came to America and Ellis Island in December of 1923. He lived in Brooklyn and Long Island, NY, Killingly and Woodstock, CT, and Dudley and Worcester. He served proudly with the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II and attended Cornell, Hofstra and Columbia University, earning BA and MBA Degrees. He worked for Irving Trust at One Wall Street and for Franklin National Bank and was the owner of a natural cosmetics firm and the creator and developer of synthetic lubricants. He loved music, sports and great conversations. Loving father and friend who traveled a long trail and left a lot of great memories. Calling hours from 3-5 PM on Sunday, Oct. 28th in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., HOLDEN. Funeral Service will be at 11 AM on Monday in the Funeral Home. Burial private in Worcester County Memorial Park in Paxton. In lieu of flowers, and in memory of Patsy Bocz, Joan Knox, Susan Campeau and Lisa Audet, donations may be made to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, PO Box 224523, Dallas, TX 75222. www.milesfuneralhome.com.