Ashley Andrews Anderson-Varney, age 80, of Grand Rapids, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, February 16, 2022. Ashley is survived by her mother, Theresa Anderson-Varney and her very dear friend who has been the father she never had, Gary Ristau. Her children include Thomas (Denise) Amtsbuechler and Mari-Clare (Duane) Culver. Her grandchildren, Dylan (Ashley) Amtsbuechler, Liz (Jonathon) Fuller, Emily (Jesse) Stout, Olivia (Derek) Blakeslee, Elise (Joseph) Riley, Evelyn (Scott) Smith. Her great-grandchildren, Ephraim Amtsbuechler, Tiberius Amtsbuechler, Clive Amtsbuechler, Riot Fuller, Hudson Fuller, Lincoln Fuller, Noah Stout, Eliza Stout, Bryson Smith and her precious canine companion, Cricket. Ashley overcame suffering and pain throughout her life. God brought others into her life to join her in that battle, to help her rise above the abuse she had endured. Even more so in the last months with the help of her mom and dad and her new found son and daughter David and Michelle Hill and their children Shelby and Brooke. Ashley was a warrior for Christ. She loved Him above all and knew He loved her. Her mission was to make disciples and to bring glory to God. She did that in a number of ways, including being the key member of the Coalition to Stop Exploitation by Helping Professionals back in 2001. She testified in the Michigan Legislature and successfully passed the law to criminalize sexual contact between helping professionals and patients. She also worked tirelessly in her church. For years she was the Director of Women's Ministry at Berean Baptist Church and provided loving care for the women there. She was a member of the women's ministry team at Good News when Covid came on the scene. As time went by she was in too much pain to attend. At Christmas, she was tearfully blessed by her Good News family singing at her bedside. She loved her family very much and always knew how to make each one feel special. She had a heart for firefighters because they were helping/saving people. She prayed for them when the sirens sounded and brought boxes of donuts to the station to let them know she appreciated their work. She loved to plan family parties, church parties, and celebrations of all kinds. She knew how to bless people beyond what they could imagine. The family would like to express its sincere thanks and love to Pastor Brian Cederquist, Amy Kaiser, Kelly, and Ruth from Handsforhealthandfreedom.org for their special outpouring of love, support and guidance in this last month. Visitation will be held on Saturday, February 19 from 10:00-11:00am, with the funeral service to begin at 11:00am at Good News Baptist Church at 6830 Eastern Ave in Grand Rapids. For those who wish to view the service online, please go to gnbcgr.org. There will be a light lunch after the service. Memorial contributions can be made to Good News Baptist Church or Hands for Health and Freedom.org.