The Ascue’s are a great example of a family that has passed down a strong legacy of values and traditions. Their legacy is one of hard work, determination, and success. It is a legacy of education, faith, and love. It is a legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy and Pearl Ascue have already started to forge their own path while honoring their parent's long-standing legacy. Mr. and Mrs. Ascue have three surviving children out of a total of five: Craig, Christi, and Tory.
“The Ascue family legacy is a great one that stems not from common assets like money, cars, and clothes,” said Craig Ascue. “But from an entrenched family values system that focuses on a mindset of accountability, talent, creativity, and family.”
A shining example of how utilizing the talents of each family member can cause financial and communal success is through their family-operated business, Ascue’s Auto Body & Paint Shop.
In 1968, Mr. Timothy Ascue established the family business alongside his wife, brothers, sisters, and cousins. It was one of the first Black-owned businesses in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The primary operators of the family business are Craig, Christi, and Tory, and they do an exemplary job at high-quality business management and serving all their customers with great empathy and care.
“I’m the Chief Financial Officer at Auto Body & Paint Shop. I have worked with my brothers over the past 12 years,” said Christi Ascue Kershaw. “The older I get, the more I appreciate and understand the legacy my family has created in the Charleston and Mount Pleasant area. I watch my parents give effortless knowledge on starting and maintaining a business or moving and shaking in rooms where they have already left a lasting mark.”
The Ascue family is revered and deeply respected, and their legacy holds a powerful weight throughout the communities in Charleston.
The patriarch and matriarch of the family, Timothy and Pearl Ascue, taught their children early on about the value of family and their family’s history, which helped them to develop a strong sense of self-worth.
“The Ascue legacy is phenomenal in terms of standards and integrity. The Ascue’s are trendsetters of moral excellence, which set the tone for other inspired entrepreneurs in the Charleston area,” said Tory Ascue. “During my childhood, high expectations were demanded from us in the classroom and the household.”
The Ascue siblings deeply understand the values and traditions important to their family, which has become a source of pride and life-long motivation.
“Mr. Ascue started round table conversations during Sunday dinners and talked about everything from business to politics. Those conversations carried a great deal of power and gained a great deal of respect from both our community and family,” said Tory Ascue. “We learned to listen to one another and started holding each other accountable. Those Sunday dinners are still ongoing, and they are very therapeutic.”
Sharing wisdom is a gift and has been a critical factor in how the Ascue family has positively impacted Charleston.
“As a family of entrepreneurs, the Ascues family has been through a lot; however, they know that the Bible tells them that a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children and that inheritance is based not on making the work easier but the vision clearer,” said Craig Ascue. “The Ascue family has been and still is vigilant and intentional about the gift and system of values they leave in the business community, nonprofit communities, and the Gullah community of the Lowcountry where we have thrived and raised successful families.”
Having a strong community is one of the most fulfilling components of life. The Ascue’s are continuously building a community in the Charleston area to ensure everyone thrives and has a sense of belonging.
“Our community holds us in high regard because we wholeheartedly fellowship with our community and neighbors as though they are family,” said Christi Kershaw Ascue. “Our Sunday dinners are a testament to this.”
A native of Charleston and raised in North Charleston, Okeeba Jubalo is one of the many entrepreneurs who had the pleasure of chatting with the Asuce family about ways to enrich the communities in Charleston. Okeeba Jubalo also spreads his talents and gifts in his community with his youth and adult programs, Art to Heart and The Wolfpack Internship.
“Okeeba Jubalo brings many talents to the table. His abilities as an artist and entrepreneur are magnificent and long overdue for the Charleston Tri-County area. The Ascue family looks forward to continuing to work with Okeeba and his team to help him and others, come ya’s and been ya’s, explore Charleston for all the great values, teachings, and stories that it has to offer for the betterment of all of our communities.”
As a notable business owner and activist for his community, Okeeba Jubalo has also made a significant impact in the North Charleston area with his remarkable gallery, Okeeba Jubalo Fine Art Gallery, and magazine, The Charleston Compass Quarterly Magazine.
“The Ascue family’s story isn’t just a Charleston story; it is an American story. It is an honor for
our publication and team to be able to introduce this family to our readers. We need more of the stories to not only become articles but also books and movies,” said Okeeba Jubalo. “Representation is very important in our community. Without seeing versions and tones of this type of Black excellence, our people can lose sight of what is possible.”
The Ascue sibling bond is unmatched, and it speaks volumes about how their parents raised them to love, respect, and cherish each other. Craig, Christi, and Tory are an honest, hardworking, and compassionate unit that will inspire the next generation of Ascue’s and Charleston residents.
“The key to keeping your family legacy alive is to continue to teach and talk to the kids of the family. I absolutely adore my nephew and nieces, and I chat with them, if not weekly, every two weeks,” said Christi Ascue Kershaw. “We all have a special bond, and I make it my business to share all my knowledge and keep them thinking about their future and how they can continue to build upon the Ascue legacy.”
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