Peggy Marie Ashton

Peggy Marie Ashton (nèe Rippons), age 83, of Elizabeth City, NC (formerly of Hoopersville, MD), passed away peacefully with family at her side on Thursday, June 8, 2023.

The eldest of three sisters, she was born to Benjamin and Mattie Rippons on August 26, 1939. At South Dorchester High School in Golden Hill, Maryland, she was captain of the girls’ basketball team.

In 1959, she married Floyd Raymond Ashton, Jr., giving him three children. Floyd, a waterman, captained a boat named after her and she was his loyal first mate. She was a crab picker at the family business, Ruark and Ashton, as well as a beloved Sunday school teacher at Hoopers Memorial United Methodist Church.

The couple relocated to Elizabeth City, NC in 1984 where she and her husband helped start a crab picking business. At that time, she was hired by the College of the Albemarle to teach the skill of crab picking. In 1992 they founded Ashton Seafood Company, Inc. which they ran together until closing in 2003.

Beset by various illnesses throughout the second half of her life, she handled them with grace and poise, never once showing fear. She enjoyed crocheting blankets, teaching her grandchildren lay-ups, and conversing with family and friends. She was a warm and generous spirit.

Inseparable from her loving husband to the very end, his death preceded hers by only eight days. She was also preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Lessie Coulbourne.

She is survived by a son, Gene Ashton and wife, Kissy Bridges; daughter, Mary Willey and husband, Phillip Willey; daughter, Renee Stallings and husband, Don Stallings; sister, Barbara North; grandson, David Willey and wife, Danielle Willey; grandson, Gene Ashton, Jr.; granddaughter, Kristen Ashton; grandsons, Corey Stallings, Cody Stallings, and Casey Stallings; granddaughter, Alexis Ashton; great-grandchildren, Nicole Maher, Skyler Maher, Makenzie Weatherly, Riley Willey, and Macie Ashton; and several nieces and nephews that she loved dearly.

She will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, June 12, 2023, at Riverside Baptist Church, 1528 Weeksville Road, Elizabeth City, NC 27909 with Pastor Jason Davis officiating. A visitation will be held one hour prior to and one hour following the service at the church. A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at Dorchester Memorial Park Cemetery, 5391 Aireys Road, Cambridge, MD 21613 with Pastor Jason Davis officiating. A visitation will be held from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. at Newcomb and Collins Funeral Home, 308 High Street, Cambridge, MD 21613 prior to the graveside service.