Ashley May Booher, 41, passed away peacefully on March 16, 2026, surrounded by family.

Ashley was born on June 15, 1984, in Claremont, New Hampshire, to Lisa Veilleux and Brent Creighton. After graduating from Stevens High School, she went on to receive a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2006 and a Master of Music degree in clarinet performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2009. Ashley met her husband Dana, a saxophonist, when they were seated next to each other in the Indiana University Wind Ensemble in 2007. They were married in 2010 and moved to Northern Virginia the following year. Months after arriving in the Washington D.C. area, Ashley won a national audition for the bass clarinet chair in the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, launching her into a prestigious career in music. She later joined the faculties of Howard University and the University of Maryland where she taught and mentored a new generation of clarinetists. She was a highly talented musician who performed with great sensitivity and a beautiful, warm sound. She made a positive impact on many of the musicians who worked with her.

An animal lover, she adored her dogs Melody, Bell, and Crosby, and cat Calvin. She was a passionate dressage horse rider and regularly enjoyed taking Bell to the barn with her. She called this her "happy place."

She was also a devoted mother. In 2019 Ashley and Dana adopted their daughter Clara, and in 2023 Ashley gave birth to their son Henry. She loved both children deeply and made the most of every moment she had with them. Of all the fullness in her life, being Clara and Henry's mother brought Ashley the greatest joy, pride, and sense of purpose.

Ashley is survived by her husband of 15 years, Dana Booher; two children, Clara and Henry; mother Lisa Veilleux and father Brent Creighton; grandmother Anita Veilleux; sisters Theresa Creighton (Dylan Bladen) and Brittany Creighton; nieces Morgan Fischer, Adaleine Creighton, and Harper Bladen; and grand-nephew Bellamy Fischer and grand-niece Rinleigh Creighton.

Visiting hours will be held at the Stringer Funeral Home, 146 Broad Street in Claremont, NH on Saturday afternoon, March 28th from 12 to 2pm with a prayer service at 2pm. Burial will follow at St. Mary Cemetery where she will share a plot with her beloved grandfather, Henry Veilleux, who was an integral figure in her childhood and upbringing. A celebration of life will be held in the Washington, D.C. area at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Semper Fi & America's Fund in Ashley's honor. Donations may be made online at www.thefund.org or mailed to Semper Fi & America's Fund, 825 College Blvd, Suite 102 PMB 609, Oceanside, CA 92057.