Our beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, and friend passed away on March 15, 2025, in Salt Lake City. Jack was born September 3, 1938, in Salt Lake City to Pearl Elizabeth Schrader and Claude Irving Ashton. His formative years were spent on the family farm outside Pocatello, Idaho, where Jack learned the value of hard work along with a love of horses, mountains, and the great outdoors. His early ambition was to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but as he matured, Jack determined that music would be his life. His chosen instrument: the violin.

The family moved back to Salt Lake which afforded Jack the opportunity to study violin with great teachers. After graduating from Olympus High School in 1956, he started his higher education at the University of Utah on a presidential scholarship. Jack was later called to serve in the Northern German Mission. This was followed by a stint in the Army Reserve when his unit was called to active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962, Jack graduated Cum Lauda from the University of Utah with a B.A. in German and Music, later acquiring teaching credentials.

During his senior year in college, while presiding as concertmaster of the U of U Symphony Orchestra. Jack also attended various summer music festivals where he attracted the attention of Maurice Abravanel, conductor of the Utah Symphony, who became a lifelong teacher and mentor. Jack was a member of the symphony for 49 years, after 6 years he was made Assistant Principal Second Violin, a position that underscored his technical brilliance and leadership within the ensemble.

In 1969, Jack married Marie Yeates, a gifted pianist and valued musical partner. They were married for 55 years and raised a family of eight. Their home became a musical center for students, recitals, and musical gatherings. Together, they wove a musical and spiritual network that enriched the lives of many.

For 35 years Jack taught orchestra & music theory at Olympus High School - later becoming Music Department Chair. He was also an adjunct faculty member at Utah State University, Westminster College and 20 years at Snow College. He loved bringing young musicians together, teaching, training, and motivating them to develop skills applicable to all facets of life.

In 1985, Jack formed the Young Artist Chamber Players (YACP), an organization that became a premier training ground for many of the region’s most accomplished young string artists. This led to decades of music tours through Europe and Utah.

Foremost among Jack’s many awards for contributions to music throughout the state are the Distinguished Alumni Award from Olympus High School - awarded in 2015, the Emeritus Merit of Honor Award from the University of Utah in 2016 and the Utah Governor’s Mansion Award in 2021 for his work of introducing students “to the joy of music.” Jack’s passion was to bring beauty to this world (have you seen his garden).

Jack is survived by his brothers Ted and Paul Ashton, his sister, Becky Brockbank, his wife Marie, and their eight children: Amy Elizabeth (Eric Adams), John Timothy, Kenneth Claude Abravanel (Kristin), Andrew Willard (Carolyn), Alice Ann (Mark Coulam), Edward Moyle (Becky), Wilson Schrader (Anggita), David Chase, and 13 grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his brother David Claude Ashton and sister Roberta Ashton.

A viewing will be held Friday evening, March 21, 6 to 8 p.m. and again Saturday morning, March 22, 10:00 a.m. to noon. Funeral services begin at 12 noon - all events will be held at the LDS Wasatch Stake Center, 1930 S 2100 E, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Interment will be at Memorial Holladay Cemetery 4900 S Memory Lane, Holladay, UT 84117.