James Diggs Ashley, 92, died Thursday, June 9, 2016 after a short illness. Mr. Ashley was born in Bedford, VA, moved to Norfolk in 1960 and then to Hampton in 1969 where he was Director of Parks until he retired in 1979.  Mr. Ashley graduated from George Washington High School in Danville, VA in 1942 and earned his degree in horticulture at Virginia Tech.

He was one of the last "Greats" of the Greatest Generation. He was born in Bedford, VA and raised in Danville, VA. He was in high school when WWII broke out and spent a semester at Virginia Tech, before joining the Army Air Corps in 1943. He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and was trained as a Bombardier and Radarman. On Christmas Day 1944 while flying his 9th mission, his B-17 was severely damaged by flak over Brüx, Czechoslovakia. They tried to make it back to Italy, but bailed out over Laibach, Slovenia. He was only 20 years old at the time. After escaping and evading with the help of Tito's Partisans, he was finally captured by German soldiers and sent to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Germany (now Poland). A month after arriving, the Soviets were advancing west and Sagan was evacuated. 20,000 allied POW's were force marched to Bavaria in what the Royal Air Force commemorate as "The Long March". 1,200 died of disease, starvation, and cold, but he survived. Finally on April 29, 1945 he was liberated by Patton's 3rd Army. He spent several weeks in a hospital recovering.

After the war Mr. Ashley returned home and completed his college degree at Virginia Tech, later becoming an instructor in horticulture there. He moved to the Norfolk Redevelopment Housing Authority as a horticulturist in 1960 and then to the City of Hampton as Director of Parks.

Mr. Ashley was a member of First United Methodist Church, the Hampton Roads Horticulture Society where he was past President, Hampton Heritage Foundation, Hampton Roads Chapter of American Ex Prisoner of War, the 483rd Bombardment Group Association and a former member of Hampton Rotary Club.

Survivors include his wife Beatrice Cunningham Ashley; son David Ashley and wife Kathy Ashley of Portsmouth, VA and their daughters Meagan Ashley and Elizabeth Ashley;  daughter and husband Susan and Steven Strusa of Portsmouth, VA and their daughters Melissa Love and Jennifer Chambers;  daughter and husband Cindy and Larry Truitt of Sanford, NC and daughter and husband Nancy and Edward Johnson of Hampton, VA and son David Johnson and daughter Michelle Wesdock and extended family Amy and David Hutchinson of Virginia Beach, VA and their sons Sam and James Hutchinson; Stephen Cunningham and daughter Riley Cunningham of Virginia Beach, VA; Margaret and Ian Daniels of London, England and son Peter Daniels and daughter Morgan Daniels and John and Kristen Cunningham of Tampa, Florida.