Paul Joseph Ashburn, 80, of Temperance, MI, passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2026, the day after his birthday. He was born in Toledo, OH on April 11, 1946 to parents Paul J. and Dorothy (Pollauf) Ashburn. He grew up on Garrison Road in West Toledo and was a 1964 graduate of St. Francis de Sales High School. He earned his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Detroit in 1969 participating in the ROTC program. In 1970, he received his Commission as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers at Ft. Riley, KS and spent time at Ft. Belvoir, VA, and Ft. Huachuca, AZ, before receiving orders to report to the 69th Engineering Battalion located in the Delta region of Southern Vietnam. It was during this time he was awarded the Bronze Star for his service before returning stateside in September 1971. At the conclusion of his service, he worked for Dana Corporation for six years before joining Ford Motor Company. He held various positions over the years but was most proud of his promotion to the Chassis Engineering, Vehicle Dynamics, and Engineering Standard Chief Engineer position and being awarded two patents. While working full-time, he earned a M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toledo in 1974 and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1999.
After 28 years, Paul retired from Ford but in true fashion grew restless and accepted a position with Navistar Corporation as Powertrain Design Manager for a new armored military vehicle (MXT) being designed for the U.S. military and British Ministry of Defense. He finally retired from Navistar Defense in August 2009 and switched work priorities to family and “hobby” activities. In this final chapter, focus shifted to grandchildren Dylan and Tyler as he watched along the sidelines for soccer games from kindergarten through high school. In high school the twins added tennis to their athletic adventures, picking up the sport rather quickly. In true northwest Ohio fashion, this meant sitting out in every weather condition possible! He was blessed to see them graduate from high school and head off to their respective colleges, the University of Dayton and the University of Notre Dame. He was proud that both boys chose to attend Catholic schools for college.
As for hobbies, Paul always had a love for cars, specifically corvettes, and would occasionally share stories of racing cars, sometimes in questionable conditions. He was an avid fisherman and Lake Erie boater, owning several boats over the years: a wooden 27ft. Chris-Craft cruiser that needed a lot of TLC, two Bayliner 3250 cruisers, a 26ft Lyman wooden boat jointly owned with his cousin Tom, and lastly a Silverton 41C convertible. He enjoyed spending time with family and friends on Put-In-Bay and Kelley’s Island and he served on the Anchor Pointe Board of Directors for several years, including holding multiple positions and spearheading a major dredging project. He also enjoyed bowling (until he underwent hip surgery in 2005) and amid all the chaos was able to maintain a 10-acre parcel of land – with major help from his wife Val, which included a series of ponds to clean and maintain, all for over 25 years.
As many of his friends and work colleagues knew, Paul dealt with various medical conditions over the years including abductor dysphonia beginning August 1985, prostate cancer in 2014, a difficult “Whipple” procedure that same year, on-going back and hip pain, and most recently a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia in March 2026.
He is survived by his wife of over 33 years, Valda Milordi-Ashburn; daughters, Lisa Ashburn and Julie (Justin) Hegedus; twin grandsons, Dylan and Tyler Hegedus; sister, Barbara (Jack) Avery with their children, Christine (Rob) Lodermeier, Beth Avery (Dave Allen), and Doug Avery; brother, Dan (Ruth) with their children, Rebecca (Lou) Lucarelli, Dave (Amanda) Ashburn, Rachael (Brian) Mattern, and Matt (Abby) Ashburn; sister-in-law, Lisa Gismondi; nephew, Vince (Mel) Gismondi and stepson, Sam; and nephew, Mike Gismondi all in the Dearborn, MI area. Paul was preceded in death by his parents; mother-in-law, Angela Milordi; and brother-in-law, Franco Gismondi. Paul was honored to be the oldest male of the 43 grandchildren in the Margaret and John Pollauf Sr. family and always looked forward to the annual family reunions in Oregon, OH on the property of Ed Pollauf.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the Urbanski’s Bedford Funeral Chapel 8300 Lewis Ave., Temperance, MI where the Rosary will be prayed at 6:00 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Erie, MI, on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. where he will lie in state after 10:30 a.m. with Military Honors to follow conducted by Lambertville VFW Post 9656. Burial will be private in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, MI.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, St. Francis Mission in St. Francis, SD, or Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, SD. Online condolences may be shared at www.bedfordfuneralchapel.com .
