Ashley Jean O'Rear

April 27, 1987 - November 24, 2001

Her absence hurts so much because
her presence brought so much joy.

This page will chronicle the attempts made by those who knew and loved Ashley to preserve her sweet memory in some very tangible ways.

(Click on any of the following links to see detailed information in the table below.)

Michelle Champagne was a beautiful young lady who also fought a long, very difficult battle with cancer, specifically acute lymphocytic leukemia. She and Ashley were in the hospital together quite often, and became close friends. We came to love Michelle and her family dearly. Michelle lost her earthly battle on August 23, 1999. She was 17 years old.

John and Kim, Michelle's parents, began nurturing a dream to create a nature park in Michelle's memory on some farm land they owned near Sulphur Springs, Texas. As the dream grew, it expanded and began to take on new dimensions. John and I talked about his dream on several occasions, and he mentioned that he would like to name one of the lakes in the park after Ashley.

On November 27, 2002, we received a letter from John and Kim with a newspaper clipping inside. Their local newspaper, the Sulphur Springs News-Telegram, had interviewed John and Kim about their dream for the "Michelle Champagne Memorial Nature Park". At the top of the article was a graphic of what the nature park would look like. Right there in the middle of the picture was a representation of a 43-acre lake named "Lake Ashley O'Rear".

We are very touched by John and Kim's desire to remember Ashley in this way. I think it is especially fitting that Lake Ashley O'Rear will be part of the Michelle Champagne Memorial Nature Park, because Ashley and Michelle loved each other and struggled together against the monster that eventually claimed both of their lives.

View the newspaper article