Steven Dale Ashburn, 32 years old, left us way too early on September 11, 2020, in a tragic house fire. Steven was born in Sacramento, California, on March 27, 1988, and lived there until December, 1998, when he moved to Rocky Mount NC, with his dad and stepmom. Steven then spent time in Rocky Mount, NC and Alaska.
In 2006, Steven joined the United States Army, 82nd Airborne Division and served his country proudly for two tours during the war, on the front lines, in Iraq, for 26 months total, earning his Combat Zone Medal. He was medically discharged from the Army in 2009.
Steven loved people and he loved to help everyone. He would find humor in any situation, laughed and made jokes to make everyone around him happy. Steven loved hard, he laughed hard, and he played hard. The love he had for his wife of twelve years, Shaylynn, was unmeasurable and the love he had for his friends went unquestioned.
Although Steven’s childhood was rough and unusual, he found happiness with others and was happiest while camping, boating, jet skiing and fishing. Steven was a people person and loved being around everyone he met. To know Steven, was to love Steven, although he had a way to make everything his own. Due to his early childhood, Steve’s friends, became family. He met Terri Waters through the Veteran’s Administration and she and her husband, Chip Waters, invited him to stay with them, during a transition period before he was moving to live with his big sister, Christiana Ashburn Adams Leach. They loved him and treated him as their child and he loved them deeply. It was during this time that he met another couple, Joe and Sabrina Crum, that took him into their home and loved him like a son as well and he often told Joe that he was like a father to him. It was during this time, that Steven decided to make Lake Hickory, North Carolina and Shalotte, North Carolina home, splitting his time between the two, having just recently relocated to Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Steven had an extremely close relationship with his sister, Christiana, and was very protective of her.
Those left to cherish his memory in addition to his wife, Shaylynn Ashburn (Mappin) are his father, Steven Ashburn and stepmother, Sherry Rowe, Rocky Mount, NC; his mother, Angela Lynn Gulzow (Smith) and stepfather, Shawn Gulzow of Sacremento, CA. sister, Christiana Ashburn Adams-Leach (Anthony Leach); brother, Kevin Michael Ashburn; Kimberly Nicole Dominguez (Jose Dominguez); Jason Anthony McCowan; Anthony James McCowan; Ariel Marie Gulzow; Dylan James Gulzow; Amber Dawn Gulzow; Jerry Thomas Norville; Karen Batts; numerous aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews that will miss him tremendously.
A celebration of life will take place at 3:00 pm, Saturday, September 19th at the Rocky Mount VFW.
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