Asher J. Sky

Asher was born and reared a family in Altoona. He referred to his father Israel as the smartest person he ever knew. He referred to his mother, Tessie, as the most athletic person he ever knew. He has fond memories of playing sandlot baseball, football and basketball with the neighborhood kids and his mom. He played football in high school. Legend has it that he was the smallest, hardest hitting lineman ever. He was offered a football scholarship to play at Michigan State University, but Israel didn’t let him take it. Still, he went to Michigan State University to play football and major in food distribution. However, after his first day on the football field, the coach told him that he better get his skinny butt off the field before he got himself killed.

After graduating, Asher returned to Altoona where he stepped into his father’s shoes at Sky Brothers, Inc. Over the next 25 years, Sky Brothers was recognized as an innovative food distributor and received numerous awards and recognitions. As an independent food distributor, Asher was a big fan of the independent restaurant. His rule for dining out was it had to be an independent restaurant and it had to pass the sugar test. The sugar test involves checking the sugar packets on the table to see what distributor the restaurant was buying its food from. To ace the test, the restaurant had to buy from Sky Brothers. To pass the test, the restaurant had to buy from an independent food distributor.

But if you asked Asher, his greatest accomplishments and his greatest joys were his children and grandchildren. Asher never missed one of his child’s swim meets, tennis matches, basketball games, cheerleading performances or dance recitals. He always said, “You don’t have to be the best, you just have to try.”

His children, David, Tessie, Margaret and Barak and his seven grandchildren will miss his famous garlic spaghetti, his sense of humor and his laugh.

Services were held at Agudath Achim Congregation, Altoona. Internment was at Agudath Achim Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Inn at Deerfield, 34 Ridge Road, Deerfield, NH 03037.

Arrangements were by E. Merrill Smith Funeral Home Inc.

Condolences may be made at stevensfamilyfuneralhomes.com or the Stevens Family Funeral Homes Facebook page.