John A Ashby

John Albert Ashby was the Chairman of Ashby Dillon Advertising, Inc., one of the oldest advertising agencies in the Cleveland, OH area, founded in 1960. He was also a Past President of the Bay Village School Board and also served the city as an auxiliary policeman. Active in Rotary, he was a Past President of the Cleveland-West Rotary Club and was on the Board of Directors of the Westlake-Bay Village Rotary and editor of the club’s newsletter. John was honored in 2006 as an Unsung Hero of Rotary District 6603 consisting of 57 Rotary clubs in Northeastern OH. He was also a six time Paul Harris fellow, an honorary award given for outstanding support of the Rotary foundation, named in honor of the founder of Rotary.

Born in Fairmont, WV, John also lived in Wheeling, Clarksburg and Parkersburg WV. He attended Ohio University and graduated with honors from Centre College of Kentucky where he was a member of the debate and track teams, the Student Council, Business & Advertising Manager of the school newspaper and editor of the college annual in his senior year. He was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Omicron Delta Kappa leadership fraternity and held the rank of Special Distinction in the Phi Epsilon Delta debating fraternity.

John was active in the Bay Village Presbyterian Church, serving as a Deacon, Elder, Trustee, Sunday school teacher and editor of their publication. He also headed up the Publicity Committee for Bay’s first successful million dollar school bond issue.

John had been active in the Cleveland-area advertising scene since 1945 as a Creative Director. He founded his own agency, Ashby + Associates in 1960 and was a past Governor of the prestigious American Association of Advertising Agencies and past President of the First Advertising Agency Network. After his first wife Dorothy (nee Hecker) died in 1972, he married Dolores Dillon, his beloved wife of 42 years.

The couple have five children…Jill Sharillo of Middletown, CT, Claudia Meade of Shrewsbury, MA, Jack Ashby of Pigeon Forge, TN, Karen Labyk of Broadview Hts., OH and Lowell Dillon of N. Ridgeville, OH. The couple have seventeen grandchildren and several great grandchildren as well.

Services will be held at the Catavolos Berry Funeral Home, 23040 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, OH 44145. Ph: 440-331-0999. Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2015 from 4:00 to 7:30pm. Funeral services will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, July 23, 2015 at 10:00am with the Reverend Dr. Tom Joyce of Fields Methodist Church presiding, immediately followed by the burial service at Lakewood Park Cemetery 22025 Detroit Road, Rocky River, OH. Phone 440-333-1922.