Ashley Raine Norred Packard Obituary (1967 - 2014)

Ashley Raine Norred Packard was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 9, 1967 to Richard Earl Norred and Allyn Lucia Cason Gates. She left us on Thursday, November 13, 2014 at age 47 after a graceful and heroic battle with lung cancer. Her father, Richard Norred, preceded her in death. Ashley is survived by her husband, Chris Packard, her daughter, Elizabeth Raine Packard, her cat Charlie and her dog Emma, all of El Lago, Texas; as well as her mother, Allyn Lucia Cason Gates, and stepfather, Aubrey Gates, of Dry Prong, Louisiana. Ashley was a professor of communication at the University of Houston-Clear Lake and an internationally recognized authority on digital media and communication law. A strong and tireless advocate of the First Amendment and net neutrality, she was the author of two editions of Digital Media Law as well as The Borders of Free Expression, among other professional publications. Ashley was a graduate of the University of Louisiana, Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri at Columbia. Her passions in life included her family, rescuing stray animals, teaching, academic research and travel. In accordance with her wishes, her ashes will be laid to rest at several locations across the U.S. and Europe. A Celebration of Life and Love will be held on Saturday, December 6th, 2014 at The Houston Yacht Club, 3620 Miramar Dr, Shoreacres, TX 77571, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. In lieu of normal remembrances, friends and family may wish to make a memorial gift to: The Ashley Packard Scholarship Fund University of Houston-Clear Lake 2700 Bay Area Boulevard Houston, TX 77058 C/O Kim Herhold University Advancement, Box 318 Phone: 281-283-2036 Herhold@uhcl.edu