Kathryn Marcile (McNeely) Asher, age 90, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at Waldron Healthcare.
She was born (literally) in the family homeplace on Middletown Road in Waldron to Anna (Callahan) McNeely and Oscar McNeely on September 15, 1933.
She graduated from Waldron High School in 1951.
Kathryn was the proud mother of 5 children: Mike Asher (Jan), Debbie (Asher) Stafford (Jim) both of Shelbyville, IN; Cheryl Asher (deceased); Tricia (Pattie Asher) Cloud (Hank Hair) of Cumming, GA and Todd Asher (Sarah) of Sammamish, WA.
She was blessed with 13 Grandchildren, 15 Great Grandchildren, and 1 Great-Great Grandchild. (with another great and great-great on the way)
Grandchildren: Scott Asher (Christina), Brian Asher (Lori), Nicholas Sigman (Michael), Alison Sigman (Tom), Chuck Lane, Marie Lane (Megan), Mike Cloud, Brian Cloud (Patricia), Dan Cloud (April), Renee Hair, (James), Jordan Olmstead (Jason), Kelsea Cascio (Eric), Emmett Asher
Great Grandchildren: Christopher Asher, Lauren Tsataros (Manoli), Bryce Asher, Luke Asher (Justice), Aiden Asher, Sophia Asher, Elle Lane, Vanessa Crickmore, Brooke Domer, Annabelle Domer, Eve Domer, Dominic Domer, Madeline Cloud, Addison Olmstead, Payton Olmstead
Great-Great Grandchild: Anastasia Tsataros
She is also survived by her nephew, Alan Small (Denise) of Greencastle, IN and niece, MaryBeth (Robert) Wood of West Lafeyette, IN.
She was proceeded in death by her parents, her sister, Marian Small (Ermel) and brother, William McNeely (Evelyn) as well as her daughter, Cheryl Asher and her daughter in law, Janet Asher. She grieved the loss of Dixie, her sweet Jack Russel Terrier who was her best friend and constant companion.
A lifelong member of Waldron Baptist Church, she also attended Mt Gilead Baptist Church as well as Saks United Methodist Church in Alabama during her adult life.
She was a Past Matron of the Waldron Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star, past President of the Shelby County Extension Homemakers, member of the Liberty ’57 Extension Homemaker Club, and the Waldron Red Hat Society. She was very active in the Waldron Band Boosters while her children were in high school.
Many around Shelby County remember Katie as “The Cake Lady”, making birthday, baby shower, and wedding cakes to supplement her income. She was known for their yummy taste and melt in your mouth icing.
To know our mother, you had to play Scrabble with her. She was an avid Scrabbler. First as a board game at the kitchen table and then online. It was an honor to play with her but, she was not one to let you win as she declared often: “we play for blood!”.
After graduation, Kathryn worked at Murphy’s in Shelbyville. Through the years, she worked at KCL, Shelbyville Desk Company, Alley Lumber Company, Tokheim, Lois Hallmark, and retired from Overhead Door (apparently if you wanted your business to close, you would have Katie come work for you!).
Some fun facts you may not have known about Katie Asher: She was the Valedictorian of her graduating class in 1951. She worked full-time raising her children AND received her Associate Degree in Accounting at the ripe old age of 55 from IVY Tech. She traveled to Germany in 1988 and Ireland/Norway in 2008, and to Germany in 2012. She traveled to many states in the US, including Alaska and Hawaii. She enjoyed taking the grandkids to Kings Island once a year and somehow, year after year, getting lost on her way home (and in Kentucky). Many don’t realize she was an avid concert goer. She not only loved attending any concert related to Bill Gather but she also loved seeing Elton John, Billy Joel, Kenny Chesney, Uncle Kracker, Jim Brickman and even attended a Billy Ray Cyrus concert by herself once (when asked why she went by herself, she replied – no one else wanted to go and I wanted to see him!).
Looking for a new lease on life, when she was 60, she sold the family home in Waldron and moved to Alabama to live with her daughter. When the military transferred the family to the State of Washington, she moved there as well. It was there that she started her own successful business, Incontinent Solutions, an adult healthcare supply company in Puyallup, WA.
What an amazing woman who, against all odds, lived a full life and lived it with all her heart! Grab a KitKat bar, think of your favorite “Kate-ism” (we love ‘I’ll be dipped in buttermilk’, ‘well, honey’, and ‘piffle’) and please remember this beautiful woman with a smile.
Visitation will be on Friday, November 10, 2023, from 5:00 until 8:00 pm at Glenn E. George & Son Funeral Home, 437 Amos Road.
The funeral and celebration of Kathryn’s life will be at 11:00 am on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at the funeral home. Interment will be at Van Pelt Cemetery in Waldron.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Waldron Baptist Church, PO Box 36, Waldron, Indiana, 46182.
