Ashley Thorndike Sr.

Ashley Clary
Thorndike, Sr.
of Town of Chenango
Ashley Thorndike, Sr., 84, went to be with the Lord on Monday, December 17, 2007. "Ash" was born in Dixmont, Maine on May 7, 1923 to Ralph and Vivian (Tasker) Thorndike. He was a proud World War II Marine veteran, serving in the South Pacific from 1942 to 1945. After completing his military service, he enrolled at the University of Maine and later graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the Newark College of Engineering in Newark, New Jersey. As an electrical engineer, Ashley's lifelong passion was to dream up new ideas and translate those ideas into machines and other "things", which he later "tinkered" with to improve them. He transferred his love of math and science to his five children, and later nine grandchildren, when he helped them with the myriad science and math projects in which they engaged throughout their school years. Ash's zeal as a creator also translated into his gift for story telling. His children learned early on that Dad never had a simple "yes" or "no" answer to a question; he always added a diagram and a story to give meaning to his answer. The story may have been about his interesting lifetime experiences as an engineer, his military service, or old friends and family members. Everyone who encountered Ash was always greeted by his warm smile and a kind word. He was an outstanding football player in high school and college, and avid supporter of the Chenango Forks football program. His lifelong interests included hunting, fishing and bridge club. Over his lifetime, Ashley worked in the aeronautic simulator division of several companies, working on simulators for many defense and commercial aircraft and three Apollo missions. He retired from Link Simulation in Kirkwood. Over the past year, Ash was a resident of the Elizabeth Church Manor Nursing Home, where he received excellent care from loving staff members. He was a lifetime member of the Mason Lodge of Hampden, Maine. Ash is survived by his wife of 60 years, Irene (Hamlin) Thorndike; children, Brent (Barbara), Dawn (Morry), Ashley, Jr. (Skip), Linda (Scott) and Craig (Marisa); and nine grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents and three sisters.
The family is served by Wm. R. Chase & Son Funeral Home in Port Dickinson, New York. Visitation hours will be 2- 4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Friday, December 21; funeral services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 22, at Chase Funeral Home, 737 Chenango Street, Port Dickinson, followed by a graveside military honor service at the Vestal Hills Memorial Park Chapel, 3997 Vestal Rd., Vestal (607-797-8407). In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in memory of Ashley to the Chenango Forks Scholarship Foundation: Chenango Forks Business Office, 1 Gordon Dr., Binghamton, N.Y. 13901.