In memoriam
Ashley Jessica Giffen
1992-2019
Ashley Jessica Giffen was born on May 1st, 1992. On Resurrection Sunday, April 21st, 2019, she was resurrected to her eternal home in glory with her Savior. She was a beloved daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, friend and co-worker.
Our hearts are broken, the tears flow often, our days are so difficult, but we have great faith and know we will see her again. For now, we weep and we mourn. In the midst of our grief, we remember her joy, her love, her kindness, her compassion and her sunshine.
"Sunshine" Makes me smile just to say it. From the time she was little, she was known to her Mom and Dad as "Sunshine", and that nickname continued until the day she left this earth. That's what she was to us. Until she was seven or eight years old, "You Are My Sunshine" was a frequent nighttime lullaby. And she loved it. She knew that she brought such joy and light to us.
Ashley was born in Missouri City, Texas and raised in Houston, Texas. She was homeschooled until the end of 7th grade. There were amazing times during those years, with frequent trips to Colorado, New Mexico and other less frequent journeys along the way. In 8th grade, she went to Houston's First Baptist Academy. From 9th-12th grade, she attended, and graduated from, Houston Christian High School. She then received a swimming scholarship to Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. She graduated with a BA in Biology in 2014.
She knew from a young age that she wanted to do something in the medical field. She always liked sports (wanted to be like her Dad) and she tried them all. Her coordination for dancing, and T-ball was, "ahem", not her greatest strength. But she danced with joy and exuberance, and had a wonderful time in T-ball with her best friend, Victoria. Life was a beautiful journey to be embraced. She even tried cycling at the Velodrome…one time only! She fell once, and that was enough. Then she found swimming…she had found her niche. She started lessons at around age four.
When she was about seven, she joined Dad's Club as a competitive swimmer. She stayed here until graduating. In addition, she did summer teams from time to time, and was an amazing swimmer for HCHS, setting several records. Unfortunately, those years of swimming took a toll on her shoulder, and in 2015 she began having shoulder problems. She had three major shoulder surgeries within a matter of about 18 months, and struggled with chronic pain until her last day on this earth.
But guess what? She's not in any pain now!! Her shoulder is healed. She doesn't get colds, or the flu, or strep (she was frequently sick with one or more of these!) She is free and can dance beautifully with full arm and shoulder mobility in her Savior's presence. She can raise her arms in praise without her shoulder dislocating! Amen!!!
She struggled a bit as she found her way into adulthood. She considered so many careers: nurse, attorney, counselor and others. Eventually, she decided on PA school. To attend PA school, she needed a lot of hours as a scribe, which is the person on the computer taking all the notes for the doctor.
Over the last two years, she has worked at Memorial Hermann Memorial City, in the ER. She was a beloved member of the team: physicians, scribes, nurses, and many others. And in return, she loved her job, her team, and her co-workers. Although she wasn't supposed to interact with patients, she did.
She was kind, compassionate, joyful, and so smart. She was very creative, and an amazing writer. She loved helping Gayla with special projects: Easter baskets at Texas Children's, mini Easter baskets one year for Gayla's NICU, and individualized gift bags when she and Gayla went to visit children with heart defects. She reflected God's light in all she did.
Her family will miss her until the day we are reunited in heaven, but we know that the reality of heaven is true, and we anxiously await that day.
Those of us whose hearts will never mend until then include: Her proud and loving parents, Bill and Gayla Giffen; her beloved brother for whom she prayed, Zach Giffen; her doting grandparents, Ken and Sara Lowrimore; her aunt, with whom she had a special bond, Cindi Lowrimore, her Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Mark Blessing, residing in the Ukraine; her Aunt Nancy, from Denton, Texas; her cousins Bria Blessing, Lindsay Blessing, and Krista Blessing, and cousins Greg and Darbi Beck, Eydie and Bruce Schneider, and Mary Beck, Rob and Aleisha Corley, and Annelle Frederick Wiederkehr, and Kirk Frederick. In addition, she will be missed by many great aunts and uncles, and second cousins, and by friends she has gained through her short 26 years, 355 days on this earth.
