Lafayette lost one of its brightest spirits on Tuesday, June 9, when 21-year-old Ashley Ray died following a motorcycle accident at the intersection of U.S. 231 and Veterans Memorial Parkway. Those who knew her describe a young woman whose energy was impossible to ignore and whose kindness left a mark on everyone she met.
Ray was riding her motorcycle northbound on U.S. 231 around 2:30 in the afternoon when a southbound Honda CR-V, driven by 69-year-old Joseph Gross of Lafayette, turned left directly into her path.
She was transported to a Lafayette-area hospital, where she later died from her injuries. A forensic autopsy was scheduled for Thursday, and funeral arrangements had not yet been announced at the time of reporting.
The Girl Behind the Pink Bike
To understand Ashley Ray, you had to understand her relationship with her motorcycle. It was not just transportation. It was an extension of who she was. She rode a pink Suzuki that she kept in full view while working her shifts as a car hop at Dog n Suds on Sagamore Parkway, parking it in a spot that technically was not meant for employees just so she could keep an eye on it.
Her friend and coworker, Alexandra Blankenship, remembers that detail with a fondness that says everything about Ashley’s personality.
“Her motorcycle was her life,” Blankenship said. “It was everything to her. From what I know, she was the only person in Lafayette who had a pink motorcycle.”
Ray often rode alongside her mother, who also bikes. The two shared that bond on the open road, something that makes the loss all the more painful for the family she left behind.
A Soul That Filled Every Room
At Dog n Suds, Ashley went by “Shlee” or “RayRay,” and her coworkers say the energy she brought to the job was irreplaceable. Blankenship described her as the heart and soul of the crew, someone who always had a funny story ready and who never seemed to show up in anything less than a good mood.
Before her time at Dog n Suds, Ashley was a fixture at Jefferson High School, where she graduated a few years ago.
She was a cheerleader and earned All-American recognition, but what her peers remember most is that she wore her spirit without an ounce of arrogance.
“She was the senior cheerleader everybody looked up to because she wasn’t like the snobby mean ones,” said Summer Daniels, a friend since Ashley’s high school years.
Ashley had just turned 21 at the end of May.
A GoFundMe campaign was established by a friend, Kirsten Wilhelm, to help offset expenses for the family. A benefit ride is also being organized for July 11, beginning at Dog n Suds, with all proceeds going directly to Ashley’s family.
She leaves behind her mother, Michelle, her brothers, and a community still learning how to exist without her light.
