Wilbur Ashcraft

None Wilbur Carr Ashcraft August 28, 1926 - December 20, 2012 Will Ashcraft, age 86, passed on the morning of December 20, 2012. He died peacefully and comfortably. Will was born to Frank Earl Ashcraft and Eleanor Johanna (Bolstad) Ashcraft in Seattle. His father was an Irish longshoreman and his mother was of 100% Norwegian descent. With his sister Patricia (“Pat”) Eleanor Ashcraft Frost, he and his parents lived in a small tidy house and well-tended garden in West Seattle. When he was two years old his parents purchased remote waterfront property on Hood Canal’s north shore as did his mother's sister and brother-in-law Genevieve Almira and John Bernard Norris. These lots became known collectively as Beach Bottom, and many happy times spent there helped instilled in Will a love of the natural world and later an interest in fisheries as a career. Will graduated from West Seattle High School in 1944 and joined the Army in time to catch the end of the Second World War. He served primarily in Hawaii as a Technical Sergeant on the island of Oahu. Wilbur was scheduled to be in the first wave of the invation of Japan. Of course, the invasion was cancelled when Japan surrendered following the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and nagaasaki. After receiving an honorable discharge (and at least one very bad sunburn), he returned to Seattle to attend the University of Washington on the G.I. Bill. In 1950, his older sister Pat schemed with her best friend Suzanne French to introduce Will to Suzanne's younger sister Cynthia. Their plan was a success and Will and Cynthia were married within three months. Also in 1950, Will graduated from the UW with a bachelor of science degree in zoology, and secured a job with the Washington State Department of Fisheries as Hatchery Manager at the Simpson State Salmon Hatchery on the Satsop River in Mason County. This is where Will and Cynthia set up their first home. Within a couple years, Will was offered the Hatchery Manager position at Issaquah Salmon Hatchery in Issaquah Creek. In the late 1950s, Will was promoted to the Fisheries headquarters in Seattle. Also at this time, Will and Cynthia started a family by adoping an infant girl they named Sue and, two years later, an infant boy they named Scott Vern, and four years after that, an infant girl they named Joan. When the Department of Fisheries moved headquarters to Olympia, the family bought an old house with a nice view of Budd Inlet on the Westside. Will spent the next 47 years remodeling this house, which is now the home of his grandson Michael. During the summers, Cynthia and the kids would live at Beach Bottom, and Will would come up on Fridays after work and leave on Sunday evenings. In the winter, the kids would spend weekends with their Aunt Pat (Will’s sister) and Aunt Suzanne (Cynthia sister) at the Mountaineers Ski Lodge at Snoqualmie Summit. In the late 1960s, Will and Cynthia decided to join the fun and thus began their love of skiing. For well over 30 winters, Will and Cynthia rode the Wednesday ski bus to Crystal Mountain. At his strongest, Will skied the powder with the big boys. He took some impressive falls and broke a couple of ribs on a couple of occasions. Will and Cynthia both enjoyed traveling. Cynthia was fond of cruises and Will loved to spend time in Hawaii on the Island of Kauai, so they did both. They enjoyed traveling with good friends such as the Bukers and the Wesches. They also always made time for Beach Bottom. Will retired from the Fisheries as the Chief of the Hatchery Division after 38 years. He is survived by his wife of 62 years Cynthia French Ashcraft, three children, Sue (Winston) Johnson, Scott Ashcraft, and Joan Ashcraft; two grandchildren, Michael (Morena) Timm, and Paul (Jolene) Timm; and four great grandchildren, Elena and Mayra Timm, and Kaleb and Kameron Timm; and his sister Pat’s son Kevin (Toril) Frost. They all live in the Olympia area. Also he leaves many extended family members on his and Cynthia’s sides of the family who know him as their Uncle Will. He will be remembered as thoughtful and fair, a practical joker, with a brilliant yet quiet sense of humor, whose idea of relaxing was digging a ditch or raking leaves. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to your favorite charity or to Providence SoundHomeCare & Hospice in Will’s memory. A celebration of his life will take place this summer at Beach Bottom on the Day It Doesn’t Rain. To receive an invitation, call 360-584-3710 or email Joan at Please leave memories of Will or condolences for the family in the Guestbook below.