Obituary of Lisa Kay Ashton

Our sweet Lisa Kay Ashton passed away on December 17, 2018.

Lisa was born on July 27, 1964 to Betty Lou Hopkins Olson and Dale Reid Olson in Salt Lake City, Utah. She loved her parents very much. She has two older siblings, Tracey and Bryan. Betty and Dale later divorced. Dale later remarried and Lisa gained two more siblings, Brad and Kim, and a loving step-mother, Betty Lou Widerburg. Lisa graduated from American Fork High School where she participated in flag and rifle. Although later in life, she, her mother, and siblings lived in separate states, she kept in touch with each of them and they each had a wonderful relationship with her.

Lisa married Corey Westbrook in Salt Lake City, Utah. Lisa and Corey lived in Murray, Utah where they had many wonderful friends and neighbors. Lisa also had a very special relationship with her mother-in-law, Sonia Westbrook. Lisa said that Sonia taught her a lot about cooking, baking, and homemaking. In the last few days before her death, Lisa, spoke of how she loved the beautiful music that Sonia would play on the piano. Lisa and Corey had 3 children: Megan, Michael, and Maddy. Lisa taught them to laugh, love, learn, and to care for others. Although Lisa and Corey later divorced, they remained united in their love and support for their children over the past 20+ years.

Lisa married James Todd Ashton on June 6, 1998. She and Todd had attended junior high and high school together and they enjoyed building upon the friendship they had made years earlier. Todd brought 3 children to their marriage, James, Regan, and Kylee. Lisa loved them like her own and valued the time she got to spend with them. Lisa and Todd enjoyed traveling to places such as Las Vegas and New York. She often spoke of the amazing time they had when they attended The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. They also had the opportunity to take a cruise to the Bahamas together. More recently, Todd and Lisa loved taking outdoor adventures on their Razor. Though she enjoyed traveling, Lisa was a homebody. She and Todd liked relaxing at home with their two dogs, Gabby and Xander. Going out on the town for dinner and a movie was something they did together often, even if Lisa did fall asleep in the middle of some of the movies that Todd chose. Lisa and Todd loved hosting family get togethers at their home that they had just built several years ago.

Although Lisa felt like an “oldie moldy”, she decided to go back to school to become an R.N. She worked and studied hard to accomplish what she had set out to do. She earned her degree 5 years ago and worked in labor and delivery for Alta View Hospital and Riverton Hospital. She later worked for Procare Hospice. Lisa made many friends wherever she worked, and many of her coworkers came to visit her in the final days of her life.

What brought Lisa happiness more than anything else in this world was spending time with her children and grandchildren. Family get togethers included amazing food cooked by Mom that was enough to feed an army, chatting, playing games, and sending everyone home with armfuls of leftovers.

Lisa’s grandbabies, Brynlee and Ruby, were two of the brightest lights in her life. She loved to spoil them like crazy and to play with them for hours on end. More than anything, she wanted to be with her babies and to see them grow up.

Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017. She went through many challenges with surgery, chemo, and radiation but she never gave up. She completed her treatments in January 2018. Just a few months ago, she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer to her liver...Her “dang liver” as she would say. She was again having to face “stupid cancer.” Although she was again undergoing treatment and longed to stay with us, she seemed to know her time was short. She slowly slipped away from us week after week. However, we were blessed to be able to have several periods of time where we were able to talk and express our deepest love for her. For those tender moments, we will forever be grateful.

Lisa is survived by her husband, James Todd Ashton. Her beloved children, Megan (Karen) Westbrook, Michael (Lindsey) Westbrook, Maddyson (Taylor) Hildreth, James (Jorden) Ashton, Regan (Stef) Ashton, Kylee (Alex) Mecham. Her grandbabies Brynlee and Ruby. Her siblings Tracey (Phil) Carpenter, Bryan Olson, Brad (Marci) Olson, and Kim (Todd) Brautigam. And her mother, Betty Lou Olson. Preceded in death by her father Dale Reid Olson and his wife, Betty Lou Widerburg Olson.

Lisa has been an absolute blessing in our lives. She has been an amazing wife, the best mom, an incredible grandma, and a wonderful friend. She has truly shown us what it means to love unconditionally and to be loved. The hole that is left in our hearts in her physical absence is beyond compare. We hope, pray, and look forward to the day when we get to be with her again.

We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Mom’s amazing team of co-workers from Procare Hospice who, without hesitation, came to help care for her during her last few days with us. We thank all of the nurses and doctors at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, for the kindness and care that they showed to our family during an extremely difficult time. We also thank Dr. Saundra Buys and Dr. Regina Rosenthal at Huntsman Cancer Center. We thank all family members and friends for the love, help, and support they have shown to our family. Lastly, we would like to thank all the researchers who are fighting to find a cure for metastatic breast cancer.

A celebration of Lisa’s life will be held Saturday, December 22, 2018 at 11:00 AM in the Anderson & Sons Lone Peak Chapel, 6141 West 11000 North, Highland, Utah. A viewing will be held Friday from 6-8 PM and Saturday from 9:45-10:45 AM prior to the services. Burial will be in the Highland Cemetery. Please share a memory at andersonmortuary.com.