A tragic accident has shaken the Cape Coral community as they mourn the loss of a beloved high school teacher, Alex Ashby, who died in a car crash early Friday morning on Pine Island Road.
WINK News anchor Annalise Iraola spoke with Taylor Ashby, Alex Ashby’s husband, to understand how the family is coping with the loss.
Ashby said their family is taking it minute by minute.
He explained that their two children are keeping him busy and going, “that’s the beauty of having a piece of her still here with me, is that they are my purpose,” said Ashby.
“She was a comet, I mean, that’s the best way I can describe her. She burned so fiercely and passionately with everything that she did. And it’s the little things right now that I miss the most,” said Ashby.
A small memorial of flowers now marks the site where Alex Ashby’s car crashed into a utility pole. She was a teacher at Ida Baker High School, known for her deep love for her students, family, and community.
“It’s making her a cup of coffee in the morning. It’s giving her the best hugs before work, before we go to bed. It’s making her dinner because she didn’t like to cook. It’s the small nuances of a relationship that make a love story like ours so special,” said Ashby.
Alex Ashby battled cystic fibrosis, a disease her two children also share.
“With our kids now having the same disease. She was the first person to call doctors, the first person to call pharmacies to find grants to ensure that they were going to get not just the same quality of care, but a better quality of life than she did growing up,” said Ashby.
She leaves behind her husband and two children, 6-year-old Landon and 13-month-old Estelle.
“That’s the beauty of having a piece of her still here with me, is that they are my purpose,” said Ashby.
Ashby shared what he wants people to know about his wife.
“If you really want to know who she is, she was somebody that lived and she lived fiercely, and she loved fiercely, and I miss her every second of every minute,” he said.
Ashby expressed gratitude for the community’s support and urged others to embrace life.
He encouraged the community to take the trip and go on a date with their spouse, because tomorrow is never guaranteed.