Perry Leonard Ashley, 79, of Cullman, AL passed away on Dec. 4, 2023. Perry was born on Oct. 4, 1944, in Cullman, AL and graduated from Fairview High School.
He is preceded in death by his father, Charles, his mother, Bessie, sister, Retha, brother, Harold, nephew Danny, half-brothers Ward (Ruby), Glen (Ella), and half-sister Grace (Edgar) Glaze.
He is survived by his wife, Donna, three children, Brent, Phillip (Stephanie), Letha Miller (Paul), brother, Rayford (Brenda), sister-in-law Carolyn, numerous in-laws, nieces, and nephews. He treasured his grandchildren, Lillie, Emily, Elizabeth, Charlie, Jackson, Cara-Grace, Nora Katherine, Colt, and Cade. He loved them fiercely, and it brought him great joy to spend time with them.
Perry began his 34-year career as a lineman for the Cullman Electric Co-Op. Being a lineman was not only a job, but a delight. During storms, it thrilled Perry to work long hours helping to restore power. His children remember times when Perry would come home after working non-stop days due to widespread outages. He would cry as he told them everyone’s power had not been restored, so he hated to sleep while others were still in need.
Being a helper extended into the community, as well. As a poultry and cattle farmer, he enjoyed helping other poultry growers get chickens, and when he saw a need, it brought him great excitement to meet the need anonymously. We see Jesus teaching us to do this in the Matthew 25 passage as the King invites those blessed by his Father to inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world. For they gave food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcomed a stranger, clothed the naked, visited the sick, and came to see those imprisoned.
Perry knew the value of helping others, but he knew nothing was of greater value than having a relationship with Jesus Christ. As an active member of Christ First Ministries and strong supporter of missions organizations, he took what God had given him and blessed others. The gospel of Jesus Christ was the core of any good that came from Perry’s life on this earth. In John 14:12 Jesus tells us “Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do…” Perry enjoyed hearing his son, Phillip, preach and would tear up when sharing truths from his sermons. His compassion for spreading the gospel echoed Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
The forgiveness of Christ was evident through his 57-year marriage to his beloved wife, Donna. After dating just two weeks, she said Perry started asking her to marry him every night. With much fondness, she said she should have agreed to marry him much sooner than she did. The need for the forgiveness of sin was the greatest need in Perry’s life, and he accepted this forgiveness from Jesus Christ.
Visitation is Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. with the funeral following at 12 p.m. at Christ First Ministries on Highway 1061 AL HWY 69N Cullman, AL 35058.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests money be given toward 4G ministries or a missions outreach of your choice.
