Donald Lee Ashburn Sr., 87, of Lancaster, died November 21, 2016. Born June 6, 1929 in Northumberland County, he was the last of seven children born to the late John Thomas and Daisy Walker Ashburn.

A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Donald was best known as a commercial oysterman and crabber spending more than 60 years plying the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

He was a veteran serving his country stateside as a Corporal in the Medical Detachment of the Fourth U. S. Army during the Korean War at Fort Bliss, Texas. After discharge, he returned to his hometown to begin his life on the bay like his father and eldest brother before him.

Donald was a member of Bethel United Methodist Church; a member of the Upper Lancaster Volunteer Fire Department; a Master Mason in Lancaster Union Lodge No. 88, A. F. and A. M., and a brother in Masonic Orders including the Scottish Rite, Royal Arch, Shriner’s, and Order of the Eastern Star; and a member of Lancaster County Lodge No. 2527, Loyal Order of the Moose.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Dr. Frances Northern Ashburn, and is survived by his son, Don Jr., his grandson, Nate, and daughter-in-law, Sally Lowe Ashburn, all of Richmond; sister, Norma Moore of Richmond and sister-in-law, Shirley Ashburn, of Baltimore; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of his life will be held 1:00 p. m. Saturday, November 26, at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lively, Virginia. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Memorials may be sent to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research, One Intrepid Square, West 46th Street and Twelfth Avenue, New York, NY 10036 or the Reedville Fisherman’s Museum, 504 Main St, P. O. Box 306, Reedville, VA 22539.