MANCHESTER, NH — Yesterday the world lost Ashley Boie, a bright, young soul. At age 19, this beautiful young lady went through a 16-month battle with cancer. She was diagnosed with cancer at the start of our senior year, which struck me as particularity cruel. After 11 years of school, the time was finally here and we had a world of opportunities in front of us. But Ashley had to shift her focus. When her friends were touring campuses and meeting college reps, Ashley was touring an oncology ward and meeting doctors. Yet, despite it all, she stayed strong. She focused on treatments and cheering up other patients in the oncology ward with her “cancer sucks” lollipop display. She worried about her parents and how they were coping with their only child’s illness – and would continue to cope in the long run.
And through all she had to deal with on a day-to-day basis, Ashley remained one of those people who you could go to for support, whether you knew her or not. She lived to help people.
The bands Recycled Percussion and Pentatonix were big parts of Ashley’s life. Through Recycled Percussion’s Justin Spencer, Ashley became involved in an anti-bullying movement called Legacy X. I had the privilege to spend a day on the beach with her and others from Legacy X and found them to be extremely passionate about positively changing the lives of other people and themselves. Through Legacy X, Ashley amassed an enormous network of peers and touched the lives of countless individuals.
She was colorful, in both her personality and her style. She was the type of person that would purposely wear bright colors on a rainy day. Ashley had a deep love for horses and every year the Deerfield Fair would fall on her birthday, and she would be there competing, and we would always have a birthday party when the fair closed.
One of my fondest memories of Ashley is from middle school track. We were both new to track and neither of us were runners. To say we struggled running the required mile would be an understatement. When I look back, it was probably because we were laughing about how awful we were at it.
Cancer sucks. And even though it tried, it will never diminish the bright light that was Ashley, or the legacy she left. Ashley took her colorful spirit to her fight against cancer. And the way she chose to battle cancer has been an inspiration to so many people. I am extremely honored to say that I shared a part of my life with this beautiful person. I wish I could have seen her one last time and told her that she is one of the reasons I am the way I am today. Ashley, it was a blessing and an honor to be your friend. I love you with all my heart. Rest easy.
Delaney Ware grew up in Manchester, N.H. and attended Middle School at Parkside and her freshman year at West H.S. She currently lives in Raleigh, N.C. and is a freshman at East Carolina University.
♥ Ashley Boie’s obituary and information about services.
