Adele Ashley Axon, MD

April 24, 1955 – February 6, 2026

Adele Ashley Axon, MD, of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away peacefully on February 6, 2026. She was 70 years old.

Adele was born on April 24, 1955, in Wilmington, Delaware, to Patrick F. Ashley, MD and Adele Lorraine Carter. She grew up in Wilmington and graduated from Tower Hill School, where her love of learning, athletics, and lifelong friendships began.

She attended Middlebury College and later the University of Rochester, where she swam on collegiate teams and earned her medical degree. Adele completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Rochester, beginning a career guided by intellect, compassion, and a deep sense of responsibility.

In 1976, Adele married the love of her life, best friend, and companion, David L. Axon, MD. She would often proudly tell the story of how she decided she would marry Dave the very first time she met him. Together, they built nearly fifty years of marriage filled with devotion, humor, partnership, and shared purpose. They were looking forward to celebrating their golden anniversary this August.

After completing her medical training, Adele practiced Family Medicine and later served in the Student Health Service at the University of Delaware. In 1995, she completed a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine and became Medical Director of the high school wellness centers run by ChristianaCare VNA, where she served until 2004. She later stepped away from medicine to devote herself fully to raising her daughters—the work closest to her heart.

In the years that followed, Adele remained deeply engaged with her community. She mentored middle school students, tutored children through the Reading Assist Institute, served on the Delaware Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Responsibility, and volunteered with ChristianaCare VNA.

Adele was a gifted athlete, and competitor throughout her life—at home in the pool, on the tennis court, and in any challenge that required discipline and drive. She was also a creator and a true sentimentalist, preserving life through paintings, scrapbooks, journals, and beautifully written letters, keeping every note and memento that told the story of the people she loved. She approached life as a seeker of truth and meaning, with a romantic heart and a deep reverence for memory.

Adele deeply valued her close friendships and made it a priority to maintain them through various chapters in life, never allowing time or distance to separate her from the ones she loved. Those who knew Adele remember that you could talk to her about anything and say anything to her. She welcomed honest conversations and met people with openness rather than judgment. She was caring, goofy, and one of a kind. Often funny in a charmingly unintentional way, she possessed the rare gift of being able to laugh at herself and was never afraid to speak her mind. Her generosity of spirit was felt by many; she loved her daughters with a singular, unmatched ferocity and warmly extended that love to their significant others. She devoted time to each of her children individually in ways that shaped who they became.

Adele’s greatest joy was always her family. She is survived by her beloved husband, David, and her three daughters:  Shannon (Bryce Dew), and Molly (Erik Duricek). She was a devoted grandmother to Knox, Bennett, and Remy Dew; and Gus and Beau Duricek, who lovingly knew her as “Della.” 

Adele is also survived by her siblings: Robert (Anne), Patrick (Ann), Lisa, and Michael (Deborah), along with many cherished nieces and nephews and lifelong friends. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Adele will be profoundly missed, but her legacy lives on through her husband, daughters, grandchildren, and all those who loved her and whose lives she touched.

There will be a public service in Spring with more details to be shared soon. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Adele’s memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Please note that some family members have requested privacy and are not listed. 

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