FARMINGTON – Ashley Seavey Parlin passed away Monday, July 7, surrounded by his loving wife and family, after a 20-year battle with cancer. He died as he lived for 81 years, determined and strong.

He was born in Anson, Feb. 4, 1927, to Phil “Dana” Parlin and Nellie Phinney Parlin. He attended New Vineyard School, leaving after the eighth grade to work in the woods with his father and three brothers to support the family.

In 1944, he met Elizabeth “Lib” Nile, daughter of James and Beulah Pillsbury Nile of Langtown Plantation and they married Feb. 7, 1945 in Farmington. His May enlistment in the Army of World War II took him from Ft. Benning, Ga., to Germany and Denmark, before returning home to his family in Fairbanks.

He worked as a cutter and driver for various wood companies, lathe operator for HG Winter novelty mill, truck owner/operator with the Maine Highway Patrol Department and as a skilled stone mason, until retirement in 1990. His fireplaces stand today, and will stand for many years, as testimony to his craft.

Ash had a love of the Maine woods and its music and as a boy and man he was equally skilled with rifle, ax, fly rod and guitar. He and Lib played and sang their mountain music throughout Maine as “The Twigsnappers” and were guests of close friend, Jud Strunk in a pilot TV production in Hollywood.

Years of cutting trees with a crosscut saw, shoveling a dozen loads of gravel a day and the rigors of stone masonry made him strong and whipcord tough. In fact, he and Don Murray of Kingfield won the two-man crosscut competition at the New York World’s Fair in 1962. The gold ax he won hangs on the wall for all to see.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years of “Twigsnapper” Road, Farmington; sister, Charlotte Fenwick of Canton; nine children, Harland and Kit Parlin of Dixfield, Cassandra and Steve Ewing of Saco, Jerry and Bonnie Parlin, Kelvin Parlin and Raymond and Raelene Parlin, all of Farmington, Rodney Parlin and Patty Storer, Randall and Dodi Parlin of Chesterville, Ronal and Annette Parlin of Temple and Melinda Parlin and Jeff Bossie of Andover; he is also proud grandfather to 24 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his parents; siblings, Raymond, Laurel, Phil and Maisey; as well as infant children, Ashley and Mary.