With great sadness, the family of James Robert Ashfield announces his death at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008. James was born on November 6th, 1915, at North Tay, N.B., and was the son of the late Allan and Ethel (Tait) Ashfield. James will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 69 years, Muriel Evelyn (Saunders), his daughter Elaine (Brian) Connell, and sons Leslie (Pauline), Ronald (Frankie) and Douglas (Doris) Ashfield. Grampie James will also be sadly missed by his 11 grandchildren, Deanna (Doug) Stewart, Heather (Albert) Savoie, Brian (Kelly) Ashfield, Debbie (Chris) Black, Michelle (Kevin) Keefe, Kevin (Shelley) Ashfield, Matthew (Natasha St. Pierre) Ashfield, Dr. James (Dr. Jane) Ashfield , Dr. Renee (Fraser) Hart, Michael (Amanda) Ashfield and Christopher (Kelsey Keys) Connell. Grampie James' 19 great-grandchildren will also miss their visits and the affection and abiding personal interest he held in all of them and their activities. James leaves behind two surviving sisters, Maude (Rush) Tupper and Phyllis (George) Cormier. He was predeceased by his brothers Willis (Evelyn), Garnet (Ruth), and Jack (Nora Locke) Ashfield and his sisters Florence (Dellas) Brewer and Grace (Guy) Hughson; several nieces and nephews. Throughout his lifetime, James excelled in operating heavy earth-moving equipment, with his work-career spanning his father's lumbering operations, and subsequent road and bridge-construction projects. With his brother Garnet, James founded Ashfield Construction Limited and turned his attention to contracts involving the installation of municipal water and sewer pipelines, and construction of streets in housing developments. His capacity for working long, hard hours and for meeting dead-lines was legendary, and his work ethic was without peer. In all that he did and accomplished, both in his career and family-life, he led by his personal example. James will be remembered for the ever-present twinkle in his eye, his dry wit and his keen analytical mind. Above all, he was a man of faith, deeply devoted to his family, friends, neighbors and community. His retirement years frequently found him using his knowledge of construction and machinery for the benefit of others. Somewhere in the mix, he and Muriel found time for 2 coast-to-coast camping trips as well as a trip to the British Isles. For many years, James and Muriel welcomed spring by spending a few weeks, with a constant stream of visiting family and friends, producing extensive quantities of maple-syrup from the hunting camp on his North Tay woodlot. James and Muriel introduced all their generations of off-spring to trout fishing in the Tay stream and also constructed a log cottage and bunk-house at Davidson Lake, which became a magnet for the ever-growing family. James was the 'wise-elder of his clan', and his legacy will live on!