We sadly announce the death of John R. Ashburn, Jr., informally known as “Ranny.”

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Randolph Ashburn, Senior, and Mildred Muire Ashburn, and his wife of 60 years, Dorothy Ashburn, who predeceased him in March 2023.

Ranny is survived by his loving son, J. Randolph Ashburn, III, and his wife, Terry, of Portsmouth, Virginia. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Joseph A. Drudge, and his wife, Gail of Atlanta, Georgia; sister, Diana Pitts, and her husband, Jack Pitts of Hartfield, Virginia; and 13 nieces and nephews.

Ranny was a “jack-of-all-trades” who graduated from the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School with the highest grade in his class in his senior year. In his 36 years at Newport News Shipbuilding, he moved through many departments, including wood patternmaking, the sheet metal shop, production engineering, cost engineering, contract claims, and contract administration. These moves gave Ranny a broad knowledge that prepared him after retirement from Newport News Shipbuilding for 15 years at a consulting firm as a Senior Contract Analyst specializing in supporting legal firms in Government contract lawsuits.

After Ranny retired from Newport News Shipbuilding in 1998, he and Dorothy moved to Isle of Wight County, where they built and furnished their dream home on seven acres of waterfront property. They really loved it there, and Ranny completed turning the rough basement into a spacious family room with a wood-burning fireplace and wet bar and also designed and built several outbuildings. Ranny built much of their furniture, which they carried with them when they finally moved into a retirement home in 2018 at Williamsburg Landing in Williamsburg, VA.

The family will have a visitation on Monday, September 16, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., followed by the funeral service at Peninsula Funeral Home. A burial will follow at Peninsula Memorial Park.