On June 28, 1934, at Bronson Methodist Hospital, a baby boy was born. His parents, Elwin and Laurine Thomas Fredenburg, named him Thomas Ashton Fredenburg.

The family home was a small farm on an east-west county road between Cooper and Kalamazoo townships north of the village of Parchment. The road’s name was changed to G Avenue sometime later.

Ashton attended Parchment schools through the 9th grade. Since Parchment had no senior high school, Ashton graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1952. He later attended a two-year automobile program and graduated from WMC (WMU) in 1955. He worked in the parts departments of a couple of automobile shops.

In 1956, he changed jobs and started in an office machine repair shop, which he did for several years. In late 1963 he took a job at Doubleday Bros printing office and election materials until he retired at age 65. He worked part-time for a couple of companies doing printing as needed.

On Sept. 7, 1952, Ashton was with his girlfriend, Lee, as she and other girls entered Bronson School of Nursing to start their nursing education. One of Lee’s new roommates was a tall slender girl. He said it took two of her to cast a shadow. But the next summer he started dating that girl, Mary Ellen Long. Because student nurses could not be married until six months before graduation, he did not make his intentions known. Ashton married Mary Ellen on February 4, 1956, just three months before her graduation.

Their first son, Larry, was born November 1957; second son, Bob, May 1960 and third son David, June 1963. All three boys went to Kalamazoo Public Schools.

Ashton gave his free time to Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. He also helped with activities at church and schools. After the boys were grown, he gave a lot of his free time to the American Red Cross and his CB radio.

Thomas Ashton Fredenburg died Friday, August 28, 2026, at Rose Arbor Hospice. His parents predeceased him. Also, his son David predeceased him in July 2019. Surviving is his wife Mary Ellen, sons Larry and Bob, daughter-in-law Linda, grandchildren Jonathan and Elizabeth, brother Myron plus several nieces and a nephew.

If you wish, instead of flowers, you may make a contribution to the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, and Bronson Methodist Hospital.