Ashley Jennifer McRowan

SALISBURY - ASHLEY JENNIFER McROWAN (Mrs. Oulayvanh Syharath) (Oct. 13, 1968, to Jan. 18, 2006), was born at Ban That Luang, Vientiane Laos. Her father was Thao Khammun Keovilay and her mother was Nang Kommaly Saysombath. In 1974, at the age of five, her father died in an airport accident. She was sent to leave her mother 's family and live with her mother 's family in a refugee camp. In November 1984, her family resettled in Faith, N.C., under the auspices of Faith Lutheran Church. Oulayvanh married Dr. Som-Ock Syharath in 1987 and together they had two children (Kenneth and Edward Syharath). The couple moved to Seattle, Wash., and then later settled in Asheville, N.C. Ashley attended AB-Technical College after they moved in Asheville and achieved an Associate of Science degree. She was the graduating class valedictorian in 2002. She attended UNC-A and pursued a bachelor 's degree in Interdisciplinary Political Sciences and Economics in an effort to better understand the world around her. She was only one semester away from completing her degree and would have graduated with honors. Whenever she wasn 't studying, she was either working on the charity project or volunteering at Mission Hospitals. Her efforts involved organizing volunteer educators to go to Thailand as an attempt "to create or bridge an understanding between the East and the West." Whenever she organized a charity run, she tended to attract people who would assist her because of her kindly demeanor and strong belief in integrity. She was a major collaborator in arranging the charity efforts and worked well in tandem with her husband, Dr. Som-Ock Syharath, until her untimely death.

JOINT SERVICES : Joint funeral services will take place at the Salisbury Civic Center, 315 S. Boundary St., Salisbury, on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006. A Christian service will be held from 1-2 p.m., with eulogy from 2-2:30 p.m. Visitation will be from 2:30-3:30 p.m. A Traditional Laotian Buddhism Ceremony will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. lead by nine Buddhist monks. Lyerly Funeral Home is serving the Syarath family.