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An
Accident that Changed the Course
Ashley
Willwerth, 18, of St. Augustine, passed away in a car accident at
U.S. 1 and Gun Club Road in St. Augustine, Florida on Friday Oct.
8, 2004. She was a native of Fayetteville, N.C., and a resident in
St Augustine for the past five years. She was a college student
and member of First Baptist Church, Jacksonville.
Ashley
was a star violinist at St. Augustine High School. She played in
the orchestra all four years of high school. She graduated this
spring and started her first semester at St. Johns River Community
College in June.
Al
Dodds, orchestra and band director at St. Augustine High School,
said, "She never missed anything. She was a dedicated,
top-notch student."
During
the last two years she played in the orchestra, Ashley won the
prestigious National School Orchestra Award. She also played with
the Saint Augustine Community Orchestra and Jacksonville Symphony
Youth Orchestra, Dodds said.
Dr.
Michael O'Loughlin, principal of St. Augustine High School, said,
"She was a good student, a good person, very
well-liked."
Survivors: Her parents, Charlie and Laurie Willwerth, St.
Augustine; brother, Jason Willwerth, Carrollton,VA; two sisters,
Christina Elders Johnson, Birmingham, AL, Amie Martin, Saint
Augustine, FL; grandparents, Clarence Willwerth, Helen and
Harold Ryer, Mary Helen and Howard Marshall.
Biography,
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Just
a few weeks into the Spring of 1986, on the comfortably cool
morning of April 26, Ashley was born.
For her dad and mom, it sure was a wonderful day.
Four short months later, she and her family moved from
Fayetteville. Her
dad’s job moved him from the North Carolina “Sand Hills” to
Florida’s State Capitol, … Tallahassee.
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Through
her pre school years, she was fascinated by nearly anything.
Quietly checking out everything … studying it.
Ashley attended a Magnet Elementary School for Math and
Science in Jacksonville Florida.
Her first couple of years of school were exciting and
Ashley excelled. Tragedy in her life then began to pull her down as she tried
to cope with her mom’s sickness that eventually led to her
mom’s death.
By
the fifth grade, Ashley’s dad had remarried.
Her step-mom was a music teacher specializing in Strings.
Ashley watched and soon became interested in the Violin,
and moved to a Magnet School that specialized in the Arts.
Through the wonderful teaching of her schoolteachers and
private instructors, Ashley excelled.
She continued in the School of Arts into the winter of her
8th grade. Her family had built a new home in Saint Augustine, and it
was time to move again.
Ashley
played well and studied hard, and was quickly accepted by her
classmates. She
changed schools the following year, moving on to the High School.
By now, Ashley was playing in the Jacksonville Symphony
Youth Orchestra, her school orchestra and her church orchestra.
When Ashley graduated from Saint Augustine High School, she
had played in the Saint Augustine Community Orchestra, attended
Florida State University Summer Music Camps, and many other
workshops and clinics and had won many awards for her music skills
including the prestigious “National School Orchestra Award.”
Immediately
after Graduation, Ashley was invited to play in the Chancel
Orchestra of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville.
It thrilled her to play in the orchestra of one of the
largest churches in America.
The seating capacity is nearly ten thousand, and her eyes
and smile gleamed in the lights.
Ashley
chose to start her college classes in the summer, to be ahead of
the others in the fall, and avoid all of the confusion of the new
freshman class. By
the time the fall term started, Ashley had been chosen to be an
Ambassador for the college. She
decided to wait a few terms before declaring her major.
She just couldn’t decide which way she wanted to go.
Since
she was about ten years old, Ashley had a very strong desire to
learn all she could about tornados.
For many years, she talked freely of her desire to become a
“Specialized Meteorologist,” specializing in tornado studies.
During Ashley’s last two or three years of senior high,
she became fascinated with the government and history of America.
She talked often of possibly a career in political science,
and her dream of working for Mr. Doug Wiles, a State
Representative in North East Florida. She loved our nations capitol, and wanted to visit there as
often as she could.
Everyone
that knew Ashley loved her. She
made everyone her friend, and always had a smile for anyone.
Once she knew you, you were greeted with a smile, a hug,
and a compliment every time.
An 18-year-old St. Johns County woman was
killed in an automobile crash early Friday morning, officials
said.
The purpose of this Foundation
Ashley
worked hard to become a Violinist.
Her studies included Private lessons, Group lessons, Music
camps, Workshops, School orchestra, Church Orchestra, and her own
hard work practicing. Through
her years of study, she attended many special programs to advance
her talent. These
included participating in the Jacksonville Symphony Youth
Orchestra, Florida State University Summer Music Camps, and String
Workshops throughout the Southeast. She worked to seize any opportunity to participate in music
educational programs. These
type programs are often beyond the financial feasibility for many
families to allow their children to attend.
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