Montreal's baseball community mourns loss of local coaching legend Carey Ashton

Carey Ashton, a man beloved by Montreal's baseball community, has died. He was 62.

"He was a rare breed," said Terry Doucet, a fellow coach and longtime friend who worked with Ashton in NDG Minor Baseball and with the McGill Redbirds.

Ashton was born in Dartmouth, N.S., in 1959 and moved to Montreal when he was five. Two years later, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and has used the aid of a wheelchair to get around since he was 19.

But his health never slowed him down when it came to his work as a coach, inspiring young athletes to win on and off the field.

"It was an incredible load on his body to spend eight, 10, 12 hours a day at a ball field out in the sun," said Doucet.

"It was difficult for someone with muscular dystrophy to even stay out that long. And of course, he'd be exhausted by the time he got home, but the kids realized what he gave up for them. And if he was giving up so much ... then they were going to."

Doucet said Ashton's devotion to his players was mutual. He said you'd have to "be from Mars if you couldn't tell that these kids loved him. It was beautiful to see."

Ashton began coaching in 1998. He led six NDG teams to national tournaments. In 2002, Ashton became a bench coach for the McGill Redbirds, a Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association (CIBA) team.

In 2006, the Redbirds won their first CIBA championship.

Ashton was awarded every award NDG Baseball offers to volunteers. Some he won several times. 

Ashton was also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for making a significant contribution to the community. 

Due to a decline in health, Ashton retired as an active competitive coach for NDG Baseball in January 2011, though he made himself available for coaching