Corralitos

Martha Work Ashelman was born in San Francisco on October 31, 1927 and died in Corralitos, CA on May 1, 2025. She is survived by a sister, three sons and three grandchildren. Among her many accomplishments, upon graduating from UCBerkeley in Political Science, Martha was one of the earliest recipients of the prestigious Coro Fellowship in San Francisco. Coro “trains, supports & connects leaders to foster a thriving democracy and tackle society’s biggest challenges together.” She married Jim, a foreign service officer with whom she spent many adventurous years in Saigon, Taiwan, Japan and Germany.

In Taiwan, she hosted her own weekly radio show. Later in life she settled in West Virginia where she was VP of Coolfont Resort. At Coolfont, Martha spearheaded the addition of a full fledged Spa and conducted numerous smoking cessation boot-camps. She is a published author of “Stop Smoking Naturally.” Known for her sharp wit and sense of humor, Martha was a voracious reader, avid tennis player and a staunch member of the Democratic Party. A memorial service and reception will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 28 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 6401 Freedom Blvd, Aptos, CA.