Ashley Okland

West Des Moines

Ashley Okland, 27, officially became an Angel on Friday, April 8, 2011. Visitation will be held Tuesday, April 12, at Fjeldberg Lutheran Church, 209 N. 2nd Ave. in Huxley, Iowa from 4 to 8 p.m. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 14, at Lutheran Church of Hope, 925 Jordan Creek Pkwy, West Des Moines, Iowa. A burial will be held in Huxley.

Ashley was born on December 30, 1983 in Ames, Iowa. Growing up, Ashley was involved in sports, dance, 4-H, and piano. She attended Ballard High School, and after two years at the University of Northern Iowa she transferred to Iowa State University where she graduated in 2006.

A transplanted country girl at heart, she lived happily in West Des Moines with her "Hun" Eric and new pup, Indi. Above all else, Ashley loved spending time with her family and friends. Always on the go, her biggest struggle was finding the time to make everyone feel as special as she thought they should. She began her real estate career, which quickly became a passion, at the JDR Group in 2007 and became an Iowa Realty Agent in 2010. Actively involved in a number of charities and organizations, her (limited) free time was spent as a Young Variety board member, Big Sister, and avid Young Professionals Connection supporter. Always the event planner, she enjoyed traveling, concerts, golfing (The Legacy!), exercising, and just being busy. A beautiful girl inside and out, she will be missed terribly by all those who've been fortunate enough to know her.

Ashley is survived by the love of her life, Eric Grubb (WDM), sister Brittany Okland (Minneapolis), brother Josh Okland (Ames), father Tim Okland (Kelley), mother Deb Cochran (Huxley), grandmother Margaret Okland (Huxley), grandmother Marilyn Gregg (Clarion), ten loving aunts and uncles, and 33(!) cousins.

Ashley was preceded in death by her grandfathers Kenneth Okland and Charlie Gregg.

The family would like to thank all those that offered their love and support during this extremely difficult time. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Ashley Okland Memorial Fund. Distributions will be made to her and her family's favorite charities. (Mail to 30048 530th Ave, Kelley, IA, 50134).

Published in Des Moines Register on April 11, 2011