JOHN CLAIR “CURLY” ASHWORTH
A native Nevadan, J.C. “Curly” Ashworth (68) passed away Monday, October 28, 1985, in a Las Vegas Hospital.
The fourth child and second son of Earl Ashworth and Mary Jane Oxborrow was christened John Clair but was called “Curly” from an early age because of his shock of unruly curly hair. But hair wasn’t the only unruly thing about Curly. From the very beginning he was Molly’s most independent and adventurous child.
An old photograph of Curly, taken in Lund, Nevada, where he was born July 25, 1917, shows a scowling four-year-old, hands in the pockets of his overalls, legs spread and locked in a determined stance and defiance written all over his face. Defiance of orders once caused Curly to be tied to a tree so that he wouldn’t run off while his mother cooked for the haying crews. Curly recalled being teased by the ranch hands when they came in from the fields for the noonday meal, but who could blame a busy Molly for trying to corral her active son?
After riding the school train from Ruth to Ely with his siblings for several years, Curly graduated from White Pine High School in Ely, Nevada in 1935. Then it was off to Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he helped to offset expenses by singing at weddings and funerals. After returning to Ely, he worked in an ore assay office and hung around Mr. Murdock’s candy store, where Fern Fielding worked behind the counter. Fern recalls that he would come in and ask to borrow 40 cents and then ask her to go to a movie with him! The young couple wed on September 17, 1940, and Curly began working for a local automobile dealer.
Carol Ann, with a head of hair as curly as her father’s, was born on August 1, 1942, and the following year the young family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where Curly opened his own Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. Paul joined the family on June 7, 1944, followed by Margaret “Margy” on August 21, 1945.
Curly was active in local civic and business organizations, including the Elks, Masons and Chamber of Commerce. His beautiful baritone voice could be heard at the First Presbyterian Church, where he was often asked to solo. Friends and family frequently asked him to sing at weddings, usually “Ave Maria.” Both Fern and Curly were avid golfers and members of Blue Lakes Country Club, where both were Club Champions. Curly enjoyed hunting duck, quail and pheasant in Southern Idaho and fishing in the Ruby Marshes of Nevada.
Curly enjoyed success in the automobile business for nearly 20 years, then in 1957 realized that a waning market and changing policies at Chrysler Corporation were threatening his livelihood. He elected to join his brothers Don, Verle and Keith in Nevada, and the family moved to Las Vegas in time to celebrate New Year’s 1958.
Curly was selected from a group of four candidates to become the first Director of the sprawling new Las Vegas Convention Center. He was later employed as Publicity Director of the Dunes Hotel, and in the early 1960’s opened his own pawnshop, John’s Loans, on Second Street. Curly’s pawnshop days as the proprietor of “John’s Loans” were the source of many amusing and hair-raising tales, most notably the story of how he foiled a would-be robber. When a gunman walked into his shop and demanded money, Curly just reached over the counter and grabbed his gun, then held the man at gunpoint while he called the police. A very brave, or very stupid act, depending on who’s telling the story, Curly or Fern!
In the late 60s Curly partnered with Paul Endy in establishing Paul-Son Dice & Card Company on Industrial Road in Las Vegas. The company made casino chips, dice, roulette wheels, felt gaming table layouts and furniture and was a distributor of Bee playing cards for businesses throughout Nevada. The business grew rapidly and operations quickly extended to New Jersey and the Caribbean. By the time he retired, just months before his death, Curly had earned a tidy nest egg and the respect and admiration of his peers.
Curly is survived by his widow, Irene Fern (Fielding) Ashworth; son, John Paul, and brother Keith Ashworth, all of Las Vegas; daughters Carol Ann Bianchi (Bill) of Fountain Valley, California, and Margaret Ashworth of San Gabriel, California; Sisters, Irene Barnard of Reno, and Genevieve Knobbs Peterson of Elko; and four grandchildren. A memorial is being established with the American Lung Association.
“Uncle Curly” is fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews for his cheerful nature and self-deprecating humor. Always the life of the party, people naturally gravitated to him, and he welcomed everyone into the bright circle of his life with equanimity. If the number of mourners at a funeral is any indication of a man’s worth, Curly was priceless. At his funeral the chapel over-flowed with friends and family paying their respects to an “unruly” man who ruled many a heart.
A native Nevadan, J.C. “Curly” Ashworth (68) passed away Monday, October 28, 1985, in a Las Vegas Hospital.
The fourth child and second son of Earl Ashworth and Mary Jane Oxborrow was christened John Clair but was called “Curly” from an early age because of his shock of unruly curly hair. But hair wasn’t the only unruly thing about Curly. From the very beginning he was Molly’s most independent and adventurous child.
An old photograph of Curly, taken in Lund, Nevada, where he was born July 25, 1917, shows a scowling four-year-old, hands in the pockets of his overalls, legs spread and locked in a determined stance and defiance written all over his face. Defiance of orders once caused Curly to be tied to a tree so that he wouldn’t run off while his mother cooked for the haying crews. Curly recalled being teased by the ranch hands when they came in from the fields for the noonday meal, but who could blame a busy Molly for trying to corral her active son?
After riding the school train from Ruth to Ely with his siblings for several years, Curly graduated from White Pine High School in Ely, Nevada in 1935. Then it was off to Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he helped to offset expenses by singing at weddings and funerals. After returning to Ely, he worked in an ore assay office and hung around Mr. Murdock’s candy store, where Fern Fielding worked behind the counter. Fern recalls that he would come in and ask to borrow 40 cents and then ask her to go to a movie with him! The young couple wed on September 17, 1940, and Curly began working for a local automobile dealer.
Carol Ann, with a head of hair as curly as her father’s, was born on August 1, 1942, and the following year the young family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where Curly opened his own Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. Paul joined the family on June 7, 1944, followed by Margaret “Margy” on August 21, 1945.
Curly was active in local civic and business organizations, including the Elks, Masons and Chamber of Commerce. His beautiful baritone voice could be heard at the First Presbyterian Church, where he was often asked to solo. Friends and family frequently asked him to sing at weddings, usually “Ave Maria.” Both Fern and Curly were avid golfers and members of Blue Lakes Country Club, where both were Club Champions. Curly enjoyed hunting duck, quail and pheasant in Southern Idaho and fishing in the Ruby Marshes of Nevada.
Curly enjoyed success in the automobile business for nearly 20 years, then in 1957 realized that a waning market and changing policies at Chrysler Corporation were threatening his livelihood. He elected to join his brothers Don, Verle and Keith in Nevada, and the family moved to Las Vegas in time to celebrate New Year’s 1958.
Curly was selected from a group of four candidates to become the first Director of the sprawling new Las Vegas Convention Center. He was later employed as Publicity Director of the Dunes Hotel, and in the early 1960’s opened his own pawnshop, John’s Loans, on Second Street. Curly’s pawnshop days as the proprietor of “John’s Loans” were the source of many amusing and hair-raising tales, most notably the story of how he foiled a would-be robber. When a gunman walked into his shop and demanded money, Curly just reached over the counter and grabbed his gun, then held the man at gunpoint while he called the police. A very brave, or very stupid act, depending on who’s telling the story, Curly or Fern!
In the late 60s Curly partnered with Paul Endy in establishing Paul-Son Dice & Card Company on Industrial Road in Las Vegas. The company made casino chips, dice, roulette wheels, felt gaming table layouts and furniture and was a distributor of Bee playing cards for businesses throughout Nevada. The business grew rapidly and operations quickly extended to New Jersey and the Caribbean. By the time he retired, just months before his death, Curly had earned a tidy nest egg and the respect and admiration of his peers.
Curly is survived by his widow, Irene Fern (Fielding) Ashworth; son, John Paul, and brother Keith Ashworth, all of Las Vegas; daughters Carol Ann Bianchi (Bill) of Fountain Valley, California, and Margaret Ashworth of San Gabriel, California; Sisters, Irene Barnard of Reno, and Genevieve Knobbs Peterson of Elko; and four grandchildren. A memorial is being established with the American Lung Association.
“Uncle Curly” is fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews for his cheerful nature and self-deprecating humor. Always the life of the party, people naturally gravitated to him, and he welcomed everyone into the bright circle of his life with equanimity. If the number of mourners at a funeral is any indication of a man’s worth, Curly was priceless. At his funeral the chapel over-flowed with friends and family paying their respects to an “unruly” man who ruled many a heart.
JOHN CLAIR “CURLY” ASHWORTH
A native Nevadan, J.C. “Curly” Ashworth (68) passed away Monday, October 28, 1985, in a Las Vegas Hospital.
The fourth child and second son of Earl Ashworth and Mary Jane Oxborrow was christened John Clair but was called “Curly” from an early age because of his shock of unruly curly hair. But hair wasn’t the only unruly thing about Curly. From the very beginning he was Molly’s most independent and adventurous child.
An old photograph of Curly, taken in Lund, Nevada, where he was born July 25, 1917, shows a scowling four-year-old, hands in the pockets of his overalls, legs spread and locked in a determined stance and defiance written all over his face. Defiance of orders once caused Curly to be tied to a tree so that he wouldn’t run off while his mother cooked for the haying crews. Curly recalled being teased by the ranch hands when they came in from the fields for the noonday meal, but who could blame a busy Molly for trying to corral her active son?
After riding the school train from Ruth to Ely with his siblings for several years, Curly graduated from White Pine High School in Ely, Nevada in 1935. Then it was off to Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he helped to offset expenses by singing at weddings and funerals. After returning to Ely, he worked in an ore assay office and hung around Mr. Murdock’s candy store, where Fern Fielding worked behind the counter. Fern recalls that he would come in and ask to borrow 40 cents and then ask her to go to a movie with him! The young couple wed on September 17, 1940, and Curly began working for a local automobile dealer.
Carol Ann, with a head of hair as curly as her father’s, was born on August 1, 1942, and the following year the young family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where Curly opened his own Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. Paul joined the family on June 7, 1944, followed by Margaret “Margy” on August 21, 1945.
Curly was active in local civic and business organizations, including the Elks, Masons and Chamber of Commerce. His beautiful baritone voice could be heard at the First Presbyterian Church, where he was often asked to solo. Friends and family frequently asked him to sing at weddings, usually “Ave Maria.” Both Fern and Curly were avid golfers and members of Blue Lakes Country Club, where both were Club Champions. Curly enjoyed hunting duck, quail and pheasant in Southern Idaho and fishing in the Ruby Marshes of Nevada.
Curly enjoyed success in the automobile business for nearly 20 years, then in 1957 realized that a waning market and changing policies at Chrysler Corporation were threatening his livelihood. He elected to join his brothers Don, Verle and Keith in Nevada, and the family moved to Las Vegas in time to celebrate New Year’s 1958.
Curly was selected from a group of four candidates to become the first Director of the sprawling new Las Vegas Convention Center. He was later employed as Publicity Director of the Dunes Hotel, and in the early 1960’s opened his own pawnshop, John’s Loans, on Second Street. Curly’s pawnshop days as the proprietor of “John’s Loans” were the source of many amusing and hair-raising tales, most notably the story of how he foiled a would-be robber. When a gunman walked into his shop and demanded money, Curly just reached over the counter and grabbed his gun, then held the man at gunpoint while he called the police. A very brave, or very stupid act, depending on who’s telling the story, Curly or Fern!
In the late 60s Curly partnered with Paul Endy in establishing Paul-Son Dice & Card Company on Industrial Road in Las Vegas. The company made casino chips, dice, roulette wheels, felt gaming table layouts and furniture and was a distributor of Bee playing cards for businesses throughout Nevada. The business grew rapidly and operations quickly extended to New Jersey and the Caribbean. By the time he retired, just months before his death, Curly had earned a tidy nest egg and the respect and admiration of his peers.
Curly is survived by his widow, Irene Fern (Fielding) Ashworth; son, John Paul, and brother Keith Ashworth, all of Las Vegas; daughters Carol Ann Bianchi (Bill) of Fountain Valley, California, and Margaret Ashworth of San Gabriel, California; Sisters, Irene Barnard of Reno, and Genevieve Knobbs Peterson of Elko; and four grandchildren. A memorial is being established with the American Lung Association.
“Uncle Curly” is fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews for his cheerful nature and self-deprecating humor. Always the life of the party, people naturally gravitated to him, and he welcomed everyone into the bright circle of his life with equanimity. If the number of mourners at a funeral is any indication of a man’s worth, Curly was priceless. At his funeral the chapel over-flowed with friends and family paying their respects to an “unruly” man who ruled many a heart.
A native Nevadan, J.C. “Curly” Ashworth (68) passed away Monday, October 28, 1985, in a Las Vegas Hospital.
The fourth child and second son of Earl Ashworth and Mary Jane Oxborrow was christened John Clair but was called “Curly” from an early age because of his shock of unruly curly hair. But hair wasn’t the only unruly thing about Curly. From the very beginning he was Molly’s most independent and adventurous child.
An old photograph of Curly, taken in Lund, Nevada, where he was born July 25, 1917, shows a scowling four-year-old, hands in the pockets of his overalls, legs spread and locked in a determined stance and defiance written all over his face. Defiance of orders once caused Curly to be tied to a tree so that he wouldn’t run off while his mother cooked for the haying crews. Curly recalled being teased by the ranch hands when they came in from the fields for the noonday meal, but who could blame a busy Molly for trying to corral her active son?
After riding the school train from Ruth to Ely with his siblings for several years, Curly graduated from White Pine High School in Ely, Nevada in 1935. Then it was off to Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he helped to offset expenses by singing at weddings and funerals. After returning to Ely, he worked in an ore assay office and hung around Mr. Murdock’s candy store, where Fern Fielding worked behind the counter. Fern recalls that he would come in and ask to borrow 40 cents and then ask her to go to a movie with him! The young couple wed on September 17, 1940, and Curly began working for a local automobile dealer.
Carol Ann, with a head of hair as curly as her father’s, was born on August 1, 1942, and the following year the young family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho, where Curly opened his own Chrysler/Plymouth dealership. Paul joined the family on June 7, 1944, followed by Margaret “Margy” on August 21, 1945.
Curly was active in local civic and business organizations, including the Elks, Masons and Chamber of Commerce. His beautiful baritone voice could be heard at the First Presbyterian Church, where he was often asked to solo. Friends and family frequently asked him to sing at weddings, usually “Ave Maria.” Both Fern and Curly were avid golfers and members of Blue Lakes Country Club, where both were Club Champions. Curly enjoyed hunting duck, quail and pheasant in Southern Idaho and fishing in the Ruby Marshes of Nevada.
Curly enjoyed success in the automobile business for nearly 20 years, then in 1957 realized that a waning market and changing policies at Chrysler Corporation were threatening his livelihood. He elected to join his brothers Don, Verle and Keith in Nevada, and the family moved to Las Vegas in time to celebrate New Year’s 1958.
Curly was selected from a group of four candidates to become the first Director of the sprawling new Las Vegas Convention Center. He was later employed as Publicity Director of the Dunes Hotel, and in the early 1960’s opened his own pawnshop, John’s Loans, on Second Street. Curly’s pawnshop days as the proprietor of “John’s Loans” were the source of many amusing and hair-raising tales, most notably the story of how he foiled a would-be robber. When a gunman walked into his shop and demanded money, Curly just reached over the counter and grabbed his gun, then held the man at gunpoint while he called the police. A very brave, or very stupid act, depending on who’s telling the story, Curly or Fern!
In the late 60s Curly partnered with Paul Endy in establishing Paul-Son Dice & Card Company on Industrial Road in Las Vegas. The company made casino chips, dice, roulette wheels, felt gaming table layouts and furniture and was a distributor of Bee playing cards for businesses throughout Nevada. The business grew rapidly and operations quickly extended to New Jersey and the Caribbean. By the time he retired, just months before his death, Curly had earned a tidy nest egg and the respect and admiration of his peers.
Curly is survived by his widow, Irene Fern (Fielding) Ashworth; son, John Paul, and brother Keith Ashworth, all of Las Vegas; daughters Carol Ann Bianchi (Bill) of Fountain Valley, California, and Margaret Ashworth of San Gabriel, California; Sisters, Irene Barnard of Reno, and Genevieve Knobbs Peterson of Elko; and four grandchildren. A memorial is being established with the American Lung Association.
“Uncle Curly” is fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews for his cheerful nature and self-deprecating humor. Always the life of the party, people naturally gravitated to him, and he welcomed everyone into the bright circle of his life with equanimity. If the number of mourners at a funeral is any indication of a man’s worth, Curly was priceless. At his funeral the chapel over-flowed with friends and family paying their respects to an “unruly” man who ruled many a heart.
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