Charles Cadwell Ashley, a man who prized the values of integrity, self-reliance, and love of family and country, passed away peacefully at his Warwick home on July 11, 2011 at the age of 73.
Charles was a decorated retired officer in the United States Navy. In the private sector, he established a professional career as a technology consultant.
He will be lovingly remembered as a gentleman, intellectually curious yet unpretentious, possessed of wide-ranging interests and talents, an entrepreneur, historian, skilled raconteur, seafarer, writer and humorist. Although he lived for more than 30 years in Warwick, it was widely known that his heart belonged in the picturesque villages of Maine where summers he fished on unspoiled inland lakes, and boated the sweeping Kennebec River.
Born in Brooklyn, Charles grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, graduated from Belmont Hill School, Belmont, Massachusetts and Harvard University, class of ‘59. He held an MBA/CPCU in business from The American Institute and recently was studying history at Oxford University in England.
Developing an extensive background in the insurance industry, Mr. Ashley worked for many years with agents, brokers, insurers, vendors and major industry groups in the areas of insurance applications systems design and development, as well as office automation and telecommunications. States one associate: “He was ahead of his time in envisioning the future impact of technology. He thought outside the box.”
For the past 21 years, Charles was a Director of Centrex Communications, a satellite communications company based in Warwick. According to former Centrex Chairman “Charles served the company with unfailing diligence and sagacity.” Mr. Collins praised “Charlie’s extraordinary erudition and outstanding grasp of history, geography, literature and the arts.” He said, “It truly was an honor for our Board to receive his advice, to enjoy his discreet humor and his vast knowledge of the USA and the world. We all shall deeply miss this stimulating and thoroughly principled friend.”
Since 1985, Charles was senior consultant for Exemplar Consultants, Ltd., focusing on imaging and ISDN applications for insurance intermediaries, developing highly-focused training programs for information technology marketing and sales staff and the use of multi-media workstations in a casualty-property claims environment.
His earlier professional affiliations included Vice President of the Insurance Institute for Research and Vice President of John W. Sanford & Son, Inc., an insurance brokerage firm in Warwick. Prior to moving to Warwick, he was a systems development manager at The Travelers in Hartford, CT.
From 1959-1967, Charles was an officer in the United States Navy during which time he was on active duty with the Pacific Fleet and was awarded numerous Viet Nam service medals. Stationed at the U.S. Naval Training Center at Bainbridge, Maryland, he was a project leader involved in the design and development of the Navy’s Manpower Informations system and took part in a computer science program run by the Department of Defense in conjunction with the Naval Postgraduate School and Johns Hopkins University. Retiring from active duty, he became commanding officer of three Naval Reserve units and ultimately retired from the Navy with the rank of Commander.
In recent years, his imaginative and creative bent prompted him to write and record children’s stories. The latest, “Fabulous Adventures”, for grandson, Sam, was made into a CD. His newest venture, Wawayanda Woodcrafters, was launched last Christmas with the creation and sales of highly functional and decorative Butler’s tray tables featuring custom graphics designed for a variety of home and commercial settings.
A proud Harvard graduate, he attended all his milestone reunions and was long active with the Harvard Club. An Anglophile as well as a patriot, he was a member of three London clubs including the East India Club.
Charles is survived by his beloved daughter, Abigail Kristan Ashley and two grandchildren, Samuel John Ashley Tyzbir and Madison Grace Ashley Tyzbir. He was pre-deceased by his son, Jason C. Ashley in 2010 and brother Ben in 2004.
A statement from his daughter reads, “My dad was such a calming and steady presence and force for me, an honorable, beautiful and sensitive man. He was my anchor, my philosopher, my travel companion and my poet.”
A service of remembrance will be held with details to be announced. Memorial contributions are requested to the Belmont Hill School, Belmont, MA, Harvard University, the Warwick Valley Humane Society or the Warwick Historical Society.