Ashley Michele Bernhard was born to Steve Swenning and Robin Swenning Wilkerson on September 16th, 1981 in Richland, Washington. She was so big at birth (11 pounds 5 ounces!) that anyone who met newborn Ashley assumed she was at least 3 months old. She left us on October 8th, 2021 at just 40 years old. She battled Type 1 diabetes and various other health conditions her entire adult life.

Ashley spent her childhood and teen years living in Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Nevada, and Washington. She settled in Washington for good at age 19 and spent the rest of her life in the Tri-Cities, Washington area. She married in Las Vegas in 2003, and gave birth to their 11 pound 4 ounce baby girl (like mother, like daughter!) that same year. The light of Ashley’s life was her daughter, Jaimes Elicia Bernhard, and she was so proud to drop off 18 year old Jaimes at Western Washington University just last month.

Ashley worked at HAPO Credit Union as the collections manager for many years before deciding to stay home with Jaimes in her formative years. In 2020, Ashley began her new career as an escrow technician with First American Title, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Her boss recounted that his favorite memory of Ashley was when she walked in the building one morning with a swagger, smiled, and called out, “What’s up, bitches?!” Ashley had a sometimes shocking sense of humor, which had you laughing despite yourself. Ashley loved to laugh (at you, with you, didn’t matter to her which one). She was a brat, but she was our brat.

Ashley is survived by her cherished daughter Jaimes Bernhard, her parents Robin Wilkerson, Steve Swenning and Deb Clarke, grandmother Gloria Odell, sister and brother-in-law Shelby and Alva Cooper and their children Gavin and Maddox, brother and sister-in-law Garrett and Sarah Wilkerson and their children Wyatt and Weston, brother Blane Wilkerson, stepsisters Monica Romero, Jenna Fortenberry, Elissa Stafford, and Bo Bowen, numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins, and very dear friends who will miss her, especially Megan and Cole Dulski. Ashley was preceded in death by stepfather Jim Wilkerson, grandfather Russ Odell, aunt Alicia Ripey and grandparents Gerald and JoAnn Henricksen.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1pm on December 18th, 2021 at the home of Marc and Melissa Moore: 15902 East Ruppert Road in Benton City, Washington. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the American Diabetes Association in Ashley’s name.