"On Friday, July 4th, Ashley Ford Hamm called her family to tell them she was taking her two dogs to the beach. Her family is heartbroken to share that the three of them passed away shortly after that call.

Ashley Shea Ford Hamm was born on September 23, 1981. Delicately shy, she was often the quietest person in the room, but her reserved presence allowed her to truly see others. When she chose to engage with someone, she had a remarkable way of making those who felt most out of place feel understood and at ease.

In school, Ashley was voted "Most Talented" due to her artistic talent. She was a natural athlete who also enjoyed animals (especially her dogs and horses), planting flowers in her yard, and planning events for other people. Throughout her life, she gathered friends from classes she took at South Jones High School, Jones College, and the University of Alabama. Her teammates from peewee basketball to high school softball, track, and soccer were best friends to her, and the coworkers she had at each of her jobs became like family. She was especially close to the people she met during her time at Challenge Country and then later while working in the Laurel City Schools cafeteria system.Her life's experiences shaped her into a gentle leader with a natural gift for connecting to both children and adults who needed it most.

Together with Jason Hamm, Ashley had two children, her son Brody and daughter Avery. Her children are the living embodiment of her finest qualities: Brody is a veterinary student with a deep compassion for all of God's creatures, and Avery is a gifted cosmetologist with artistic talent who creates beauty in all things.

Ashley was recently preceded in death by her sister Heather Whatley, and by her grandparents, Fred and Imogene Bush. She is survived by her children and her parents Dale and Diane Cook; her brothers, Bo Ford, Dallas Cook, and Daniel Cook; and her sister, Hayley Patterson.

In her Bible, Ashley had highlighted and underlined the following passage from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 which states: "So we do not give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We have small troubles for a while now, but they are helping us gain an eternal glory that is much greater than the troubles. We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. What we see will last only a short time, but what we cannot see will last forever."

Her family is comforted in knowing that when Ashley and her two beloved dogs closed their eyes on this earth, they opened them together in Paradise, which surely includes being on a beach together, and we cannot wait to join them there.