(Louisville, KY) – As the Louisville and Grayson Co. communities mourn the loss of John Asher, a man synonymous with Churchill Downs, the family has set up a scholarship fund in his name, as well as released funeral arrangements.
Asher died suddenly of a heart attack on Monday, August 27th, while on vacation with his family in Florida. He was 62.
As condolences swept social media, Asher’s wife, Dee Thomas Asher, shared a post to her facebook page, and on John’s page to reciprocate the affection so many had for John Asher. Below is the post:
Thank you all for such an incredible outpouring of love, support, and storytelling about John. We appreciate all the encouragement received and cannot adequately express our gratitude to you all. The loss suffered by the passing of John is insurmountable. John is irreplaceable – not only to our family, but to the Louisville community and all those he met along the way throughout his life. Thank you for sharing your condolences and memories with us.
We will post details about the arrangements as they are finalized. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.
The details of his arrangements were released Wednesday.
Visitation has been scheduled for Tuesday at Churchill Downs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. est.
His funeral is set for Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville, at 2 p.m.
Asher graduated from Western Kentucky University, and remained very active with his Alma Matter. WKU honored Asher with a post of their own on their campus website sharing his extensive involvement in WKU:
John was a member of the WKU Greater Louisville Alumni Chapter and a past member of both the Mahurin Honors College at WKU Parents Advisory Council and the WKU Alumni Association Board of Directors, where he served as President from 2007-2008. John combined his passion for WKU with his career at Churchill Downs, where he served as Vice President of Racing Communication. During the past 20+ years, John facilitated WKU Day at the Races events for alumni. He was also always willing to host a Hilltopper, give a tour or emcee any event, and he proudly wore the WKU red. A Lifetime Member of the WKU Alumni Association, John was the recipient of the Westerner of the Year award from the Greater Louisville Alumni Chapter, the Practitioner Award from the WKU School of Journalism and Broadcasting and the Volunteer of the Year award from WKU. In addition, he was a longtime supporter of WKU Alumni Association and Department of Journalism & Broadcasting. He and his wife, Dee, have three children, all of whom attended WKU.
The family has made a decision to memorialize Ahser, and continue working to touch people’s lives at WKU, by establishing the John Asher Scholarship Fund housed in the College Heights Foundation at Western Kentucky University. This scholarship fund will help students achieve a bachelor’s or master’s degree through WKU.
The family has asked that condolences by made in the following ways to the scholarship fund:
1) Via Mail. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the John Asher Scholarship Fund, c/o College Heights Foundation, 1906 College Heights Blvd. 41016, Bowling Green, KY 42101. Checks should be made payable to the College Heights Foundation and please note John Asher Scholarship Fund in the memo line.
2) Via Phone. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the John Asher Scholarship Fund, c/o College Heights Foundation, by calling 270-745-4597 and providing a credit card number. Please indicate over the phone that the gift is in memory of John Asher.
By Laurel Mallory | August 29, 2018 at 9:51 PM EST – Updated August 29 at 9:51 PM
3) Online. Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the John Asher Scholarship Fund, c/o WKU College Heights Foundation, by https://www.wku.edu/chf/asher/
