Opal Jane (Gault) Aten
Opal Jane Aten (Gault) was born September 25, 1921 in Ashland to Anna and Lloyd Gault. Their other children were Wade and Cleo. Her mother was left a widow when Opal was three months old. Anna was later married to Wilmer Gault (Lloyd’s brother) and their children were Earl and Harriet. Opal attended Paradise Hill School and Ashland High School.
She married Ralph M Aten on Christmas day 1939. They were married for nearly 60 years. They raised two sons, Jack (Carol) of Stuart, FL and Lloyd (Sharon) of Uniontown, OH. She had four grandchildren, Justine Aten (Tim Devitt) of Chicago, Marcy Aten Nehal (Jeff) of Bolingbrook, IL, Scott Aten (Julie) of Uniontown and Mindi Pike (Jeff) of Uniontown and ten great grandchildren, Lucienne and Jesse Devitt, MacKenna and Evan Schwarz, Lauren, Kali and Kyle Aten and Aaron, Sidney and Drew Pike.
She always enjoyed being with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Some of her favorite activities were playing cards (she was in several clubs), making ceramics, knitting, sun bathing, swimming, and walking. Ralph and Opal enjoyed motor cycle riding with other couples and traveled to Kentucky on their cycles for quite a few years. She was a lifelong member of Christ United Methodist Church in Ashland.
After living on their farm in Montgomery Township on King Road for 45 years she and Ralph moved to a home on Mt Auburn in Ashland where they lived for several years. After Ralph passed, Brethren Care Village was her home for the last few years until recently.
She celebrated her 95 Birthday with her sons and their wives along with her sister Harriet and William (Bill) and Mary Aten complete with cake and ice cream this past September. She was in the nursing facility at Chapel Hill Community in Canal Fulton under Crossroads Hospice care at the time of her death.
She was preceded in death by her mother and step father, her siblings Wade Gault, Cleo Cripe and Earl Gault. Her mate, Ralph, died in 1999. She is survived by her sister, Harriett Dickinson, her sons, daughters in law, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Friday December 30, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at the Denbow-Gasche Funeral Home with the Rev. Thomas Snyder officiating. Burial will be in the Ashland County memorial Park. Friends may visit with the family from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the services at 11:00 a.m. Friday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimers Association.
For those not able to attend, expressions of sympathy may be made to the family by visiting denbowfh.com
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