James David Strickler, 60, of Ashland passed away Monday June 5th. Jim was born in Lebanon Pennsylvania, the son of Beatrice (Stohler) and the late Peter Strickler. He attended Mercersburg Academy as a youth and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he earned his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering. He worked for Raytheon in Sudbury and Marlboro for most of his career developing radar systems and software. He has been a resident of Ashland since 1978. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Kathleen E. (Boltz) of Ashland, his four children Christopher and his wife, Melanie of Milford, NH; Peter and his wife Christine of Tewksbury, MA; Andrew and his wife Brandi of San Diego, CA and Lauren and her husband Jaime Sanchez of Clinton, MA; and one sister, Anne Burkholder of Kleinfeltersville PA. He was a loving grandpa to nine grandchildren, Rory, Henry, Kristiana, James, Jacob, Joshua, Julia, Meghan and Ana. Jim was an avid fly fisherman who loved and enjoyed nature. Music and reading were his passions along with his computer that never was quite finished. His life revolved around family and home, where his family could be found every holiday and through the summer enjoying the pool that was a source of pride for him. A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 AM on Friday June 9th in the Chapel of the Matarese Funeral Home (www.mataresefuneral.com), 325 Main Street, Ashland, MA. Calling hours will be in the funeral home on Thursday from 5-8:00 PM. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory with checks payable to "Johns Hopkins Medicine" and mailed to: Kimmel Cancer Center Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center 1 Charles Center 100 N. Charles St. Suite 234 Baltimore, MD 21201