Montreal’s baseball community is grieving the loss of beloved coach Carey Ashton, who died peacefully in his home Tuesday at age 62.
Ashton coached the NDG Junior Lynx team for a decade before retiring in 2011, also joining the McGill Redbirds as a bench coach in 2002 and helping carry the team to its national championship a few years later.
According to long-time friend James Rankine, Ashton had a “special quality to him.”
“There’s a calmness, there’s a sense of humor, there’s an intellect, there’s a sense of wisdom. Everybody who’s around him remembers him,” said Rankine, who is a consultant for the NDG Minor Baseball League.
Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in his youth, Ashton was in a wheelchair for most of his life.
He’s remembered for his sharp communication skills and wit, which enabled him to go above and beyond as a coach — all without swinging the bat.
Carey Ashton served as a head coach for the NDG Junior Lynx team from 2001 to 2011.
Carey Ashton served as a head coach for the NDG Junior Lynx team from 2001 to 2011.
“He could get more out of a child’s performance than any other coach I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Ashton. “He was able to communicate: his tone, his language. He just had that ability — you just can’t teach it. I had it.”
Ashton was the only person at NDG Baseball to win every volunteer award, and was a five-time winner of the Coach of the Year award.
He was also the recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the community.
“Being on the baseball field was exactly where I needed to be,” said Rankine. “I have changed a lot of lives out there.”