Ashley D. Nevers

Ashley D. Nevers, 99, of Whitefield, NH, passed away Thursday, July 9, 2020 at Weeks Medical Center in Lancaster, of respiratory failure a few days after suffering a fall at home.

He was born in Jefferson in 1921, the first of five children, to Allison H. and Mary A. (Ashley) Nevers. The family moved to Whitefield in 1924, and Ashley graduated from Whitefield High School in 1938. While there, he was a champion debater who competed in local, state, and regional events. He also played trumpet in the band, caddied at the Mountain View House, and raised hens for the 4H Club.

Ashley attended the University of New Hampshire in 1938 and earned a B.S. degree in Chemistry in 1942. He was named the "Ivy Orator." Upon graduation, he immediately went to work for General Chemical Defense Corporation in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, manufacturing TNT for the military during World War II. In 1943 he became part of the engineering team that produced the first commercial quantities of DDT for the war effort.

In 1946 he joined the R&D department of Sharples Chemical Co., where he began his career in developing applications for organic nitrogen and sulfur compounds. Sharples later became Pennwalt Corporation (now Total SA). In the early 1950s, Ashley's research interests turned to commercial development of diethylaminoethanol. Some of the other products he researched or developed during his career were paint additives, refrigerants, and "wash and wear" treatments for fabrics. He was listed as inventor or co-inventor on about a dozen patents.

Ashley gained a national reputation in the field of natural gas odorization and he served as an expert witness in cases involving natural gas explosions. He was an emeritus member of the American Chemical Society.

Ashley met his wife, Joyce, in 1946 in Wyandotte, Michigan at a boarding house where they both lived. They married in 1948, and together they raised three children: Allen, Duncan, and Karen. Ashley's work took the family from Wyandotte, MI to Elkins Park and Levittown, PA; back to Wyandotte; and finally back to Pennsylvania in 1961, where the family settled in King of Prussia, PA for the remainder of his career.

Ashley and Joyce were members of the Valley Forge Presbyterian Church in King of Prussia where, in the 1960s, they volunteered their services to better the lives of families who were being taken advantage of by slum landlords. Ashley served as an elder in the church and also took part in helping to rehabilitate a boy with a traumatic brain injury.

After Ashley retired in 1986, he and Joyce moved back to Ashley's boyhood home in Whitefield, NH to take care of Ashley's father. For many years, Ashley and Joyce divided their time between New Hampshire and Southwest Florida, where they enjoyed the company of friends and neighbors and where Ashley was called upon from time to time to judge a local science fair.

In Whitefield, Ashley was a member of the Whitefield Historical Society and served as its president for two years. He was also a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. He remained interested in local matters and was proud of helping to debunk a "bio-oil" proposal that was heavily promoted in the early 2000s.

Ashley reveled in the tranquility of the mountains where he had hiked, fished, and skied as a boy. Although never having mastered riding a bicycle himself, he still managed to teach all three of his children how to do it.

Ashley had a lifelong habit of choosing his words carefully, and he rarely misspoke. He could be counted on to render a well-considered response to just about any question asked of him, and his reservoir of knowledge was profound. Ashley read many newspapers and chemical journals throughout his life, but the reading material he most favored was the New Yorker magazine. He appreciated poetry and modern art, played golf, and listened to jazz music, particularly that of the Big Band Era.

Humorous (both intentionally and unintentionally), intelligent, generous, and tenderhearted, Ashley was deeply loved and will be greatly missed, especially by those who were fortunate enough to have experienced the depth of his character.

Ashley was predeceased by his parents, his eldest son Allen, two brothers (Robert and George) and a sister (Elizabeth Denison). He is survived by his wife Joyce, his son Duncan, and his daughter Karen, all of Whitefield, NH; his sister Priscilla Howker of Medway, MA; his sister-in-law Peggy Nevers (George) of Houston, TX; 12 nieces and nephews; and many cousins.

A memorial service will be held at the convenience of the family.