LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – He was known as the face of Churchill Downs, but John Asher’s reach was far wider. That was evident with every single face that filled the Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville for his funeral Wednesday afternoon.
There is no doubt it was a very difficult day for so many across the community, but the service was also such a celebration of life. From beginning to end, every speaker embraced that and wanted to make sure Asher was honored to the fullest.
It's been said John Asher had five passions in life- his family, his Catholic faith, his alma mater Western Kentucky University, music, and the Kentucky Derby. All of them were represented well in the funeral service, from a full mass to mentions of all of his other loves throughout it. For a man who loved to talk, there was plenty to be said about him Wednesday. There were tears, but there were also plenty of laughs.
“John was the flame. John was the soul of the Kentucky Derby. He was the keeper of the legacy of the Kentucky Derby. He loved it. He loved it so much. John cared who came in fourth. John knew who battled in every Derby. John cared for everyone who dared to dream to win the Derby.” Churchill Downs President Kevin Flanery said. “No one has a bad word to say about John Asher. If you had a problem with John Asher, you were the problem. I know he has two words for us as we move forward- bring it. Bring it. Bring the passion. Bring that laugh. Bring the love. Bring a little bit of John Asher to the table. We do that, and our lives might approach the meaning of John’s life. Rest easy John, Rest easy.”
“There’s this strange thing about knowing John Asher. He got better with years, and if I’m being totally honest, it got a little weirder,” Asher’s best friend George Lindsey said. “There was never a void when John was in front of a crowd or on a microphone.”
“It didn’t matter if you had to walk around the track and stomp down clots. It didn’t matter if you mucked stalls. It didn’t matter if you were a concessionaire or one of those red-coated people who opened up the doors to the clubhouse. It didn’t matter if you were minimum wage or you owned millions and millions of dollars’ worth of horses, John treated you with dignity and respect,” Father Chuck Walker said. “When you were in John’s presence, you felt loved. When you were with John, you were the only person in the world that mattered. Though we will not be the same without John’s physical presence here, we can take some of John’s heart and live it.”
In true Churchill Downs fashion, Asher’s casket was escorted out to "My Old Kentucky Home." That was played by the track's resident bugler, Steve Buttleman.
John Asher was 62.
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