Kendrick F. Ashton Sr.

ASHTON KENDRICK FOSTER ASHTON, SR. Kendrick Foster Ashton, Sr., beloved husband, father, son, brother and uncle, was born in Washington, D.C. to Ellen Tillman Ashton and the late Benjamin Wilbur Ashton, Sr. on April 6, 1955 and reared in the historic Anacostia neighborhood of the nation''s capital. He attended Moten Elementary School, Frederick Douglass and Bruce Evans Junior High Schools and Ballou Senior High School (Class of 1973), where his grace and style earned him the nickname "Hip". Kendrick developed an intense passion and exceptional talent for music and singing at an early age. His broad and eclectic musical taste and absolutely beautiful voice led to paid performances at neighborhood house parties by the time he was ten years old. By the time he was sixteen he had become the lead singer and arranger of Jam, Inc., one of the hottest local bands of the early "70s. Along with his brother, Everett Ashton, best friend, George Dorsey, Brian Liggins, Tony Tillman and Grover Leggett, Kendrick traveled up and down the east coast performing before packed houses. Led by Kendrick''s vocals, the band performed Elton John''s Benny and Jets, Earth Wind & Fire''s Reasons, and Pete Seeger''s Where Have All the Flowers Gone, amongst other major hits of the "60s and "70s. The band stopped performing in the mid-1970s but Kendrick continued to give powerful performances for the rest of his life, none more powerful than his performance of Stevie Wonder''s You and I at his son''s wedding in August 2000. In 1973, Kendrick enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and was one of only a handful of his Parris Island graduating class to complete boot camp with the advanced rank of Private First Class. Over the course of his four years of service he received a rapid series of promotions, was stationed at various posts domestically and abroad, and participated in a number of important missions while abroad. He spent his extracurricular time in the Marine Corps as a running back on the Corps'' football team, leading the team to crushing victories over teams from the other branches of the armed services. He was honorably discharged in 1977 with the rank of Corporal. Upon return to civilian life, Kendrick resumed his education at Prince George''s County Community College and began a more than twenty-five year career as a civil servant with the U.S. Government. He started his civil service career with a two-year stint as a Contracts Specialist at the Department of Interior. He then moved to The National Gallery of Art, where he served for more than twenty years as an Education Loan Coordinator, directing the use of the National Gallery''s collection by college and university museums around the country. His last post was with the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles, where he served 3 years as a Vehicle Inspector. He brought dedication, diligence and intelligence to each of these posts and left each with a group of loving and devoted friends. While studying at Prince George''s County Community College, he met the love of his life, Jacqueline Smith. They married on March 8, 1991 and enjoyed more than nineteen wonderful years of marriage together. She was his best friend, confidant and stood by his side during every step of his long, courageous battle with cancer. Beyond music, sports and family, Kendrick''s other loves were history, particularly military history, and aviation. He built a wonderful library filled with books on history''s leading figures and major events and was an unabashed History Channel devotee. He also built an exceptional model military aircraft collection, which he personally assembled piece-by-piece, plane-by-plane over the course of more than forty years. He was a rare and true renaissance man in an age of specialists. Kendrick was called to eternal rest on July 1, 2010 at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland after an eight year battle with lung cancer. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline Ashton; daughters, Candice Ashton, Luciana Renfroe, and Ta-Keisha Smith; son, Kendrick Foster Ashton, Jr. (Mashea); mother, Ellen Tillman Ashton; siblings, Benjamin Wilbur Ashton, Jr. (Carolyn), Dale Brian Ashton, Archie Everett Ashton, and Karen Ashton Walden (Don); cousin, Harriet Denise McCray; grandchildren, Nyia Renfroe, Christian Renfroe, Autumn Renfroe, and Tristen Ryan Thomas; nieces and nephews, Tia Ashton Scott (Reginald), Kim Ashton Sam (Augustus), Bianca Ashton, Don Walden, Jr., Ashton Walden, Austin Walden; and a host of family and friends. Family and friends are invited to gather on Friday, July 9, 2010 at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 400 D Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003, for the wake at 9 a.m. and funeral service at 11 a.m. His body will be laid to rest at Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery in Landover, MD following the funeral service.Family and friends are invited to gather on Friday, July 9, 2010 at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 400 D Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003, for the wake at 9 a.m. and funeral service at 11 a.m. His body will be laid to rest at Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery in Landover, MD following the funeral service.