In Loving Memory of Alberta F. Ashley
August 26, 1925 – March 22, 2026
On a summer day in Harlem, New York, on August 26, 1925, Alberta F. Ashley was born to the late Alburtus Benjamin Foster of Georgia, and the late Mae Aileen Smith Foster of Nassau into a world where she would spend the next one hundred years enriching with grace, strength, intellect, and joy. Alberta was the eldest of three children. Raised in Jamaica, Queens, NY, she came of age in a vibrant community that would shape her lifelong love of learning, music, and service.
A gifted student, Alberta graduated from Jamaica High School in 1942, already demonstrating the discipline and excellence that would define her life. She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, with a minor in Physical Education, from Hunter College in 1946, and later obtained her Master’s degree in Education, along with certification in School Administration and Supervision, from St. John’s University in 1974.
Alberta devoted her professional life to education, spending the majority of her career at Public School 45 in South Ozone Park, Queens. She began as a fifth-grade teacher, later inspiring generations as a physical education instructor, and ultimately served as Acting Assistant Principal. She was a teacher who left an imprint far beyond the classroom—many of her former students would return years later to thank her for giving them the foundational skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and for believing in them when it mattered most. With a knowing smile, she often remarked that while the “nice little girls” were lovely, she had a special fondness for the “bad boys”—and they, in turn, never forgot her.
Her life outside the classroom was equally vibrant. Alberta had a deep and abiding love for music. A proud alto singer, she performed Handel’s Messiah annually during the Christmas season—first at Queens College in New York, and later at the Bobb Carr Performing Arts Center in Orlando, Florida. Music, for her, was both celebration and devotion.
In 1951, Alberta married Ernest Newton Ashley, Jr., and together they welcomed two daughters, Nzinga and Joan, who were the center of her world. Though the marriage ended in 1959, her devotion to family remained unwavering.
A woman of conviction and curiosity, Alberta sought community and purpose in her retirement. She became an active member of Salsa Soul Sisters, a pioneering organization dedicated to the empowerment of women of color. In 1980, with characteristic courage and independence, she set out with four fellow members on a journey across West Africa, visiting Nigeria, Benin (then Dahomey), Guinea, Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso—an experience that deepened her connection to heritage and global sisterhood.
Alberta’s passions were many. She was an accomplished and enthusiastic tennis player, instrumental in the creation of the tennis courts at Rochdale Village in Queens, where she and her friends could be found shoveling snow off the courts just to keep playing. Later, in Florida, she continued to fulfill her love of the sport by playing at the Tuscawilla Tennis Country Club, earning numerous trophies. At the age of 80, she achieved the remarkable distinction of being ranked the #1 Women’s 80s Singles player in the state of Florida in 2005.
She was equally devoted to the game of bridge where she found both joy and connection, becoming a proud member of the American Bridge Association, an organization founded in 1932 during a time of racial exclusion. Alberta traveled across the country competing in Duplicate Contract Bridge Tournaments and continued playing well into her 100th year at Westminster Towers in Orlando.
The card game of bridge, a pastime often called a “mind sport,” where partners collaborate, strategize, and communicate toward a shared goal. It was through this game that many years ago she met her lifelong companion, Robert (Bob) L. Stoney. Over the years, they not only shared countless hands of bridge but also enjoyed playing tennis together.
In many ways, the skills they practiced at the bridge table—patience, teamwork, and understanding—became the foundation of their life together. Alberta and Bob blended their families and embraced each other’s children. Alberta became a loving and steady presence in Bob’s children’s lives, just as Bob did for her children. Together they with Robie Stoney, Paul Stoney, Camille Stoney Bodden, Lorraine Stoney, Joan Ashley and Nzinga Ashley built a partnership rooted in respect, companionship, and enduring love.
Faith was a cornerstone of her life. After relocating to Florida in 1991, she became a devoted member of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, where she sang in the choir and participated in the Episcopal Church Women. Her faith community was a source of strength, fellowship, and joy.
Above all, Alberta loved children. They were her greatest joy and her life’s purpose. Whether in a classroom, on a playground, or among family, she found endless delight in their laughter, curiosity, and promise.
In August 2025, Alberta celebrated her 100th birthday surrounded by family, friends, and her cherished communities. It was a weekend filled with love, recognition, and gratitude - -a fitting tribute to a century well lived. She often said, “I just want to make it to 100 years old—after that, the Lord can take me.” And so, having reached that milestone, she peacefully passed on March 22, 2026, at Westminster Towers in Orlando, Florida.
Alberta F. Ashley lived a full and extraordinary life—one defined by education, music, sport, faith, advocacy, and above all, love. Her legacy endures in the countless lives she touched, taught, and inspired.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Alburtus Benjamin Foster and Mae Aileen Smith Foster; her brothers Toussaint Smith Foster and Burt Benjamin Foster; Johnny Lovell, whom she shared a special lifelong bond with whom she lovingly called her “brother from another mother”; and her lifelong companion Bob Stoney, her bridge and tennis partner.
Her family and extended family circle was large and deeply cherished. Left to cherish her memory are her daughters; Joan and Nzinga Ashley; her niece Gail Foster; and nephews, Vincent Foster, Toussaint Foster, and Burt Foster (Iris); great nieces, Camryn Foster, Zinou Foster and Symone Wilson; great nephews, Noah Foster and Isaiah Baylor; cousins, Barbara Justice, Phillipa Justice and Mark Justice; her beloved Bahamian family, to include the Wilson sisters; Lynetta, Ingrid, Donna and Leslie, and Cheryl Ann (Cherry) Pestaina, her Goddaughter; her extended family daughter/nieces, April Carter, Sharon King Stinson and Renee Morris; and a host of other extended family and friends.
She will be deeply missed and forever remembered, in more than 100 ways!!
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