Norman B. Asher of Dedham, formerly of Newton and Martha’s Vineyard, died on Nov. 15 after long illness. He was 84.

The son of the late Dorothy and Jacob Asher, he was born and raised in Worcester. In 1945, as a corporal in the Army Combat Engineers, he boarded a transport bound for the invasion of Japan that was set to sail when Japan surrendered. After graduating from Clark University, on whose board of trustees he served for many years, he received his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1951. As a young attorney with the Internal Revenue Service he participated in the drafting of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. For over 40 years, he practiced corporate and tax law in Boston with the firm now known as WilmerHale, and loved every minute of it.

He loved bird-watching, tales of mountaineering, Verdi’s operas, hot soup, eggs fried in hollowed-out pumpernickel, raising money for the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, shopping at Filene’s Basement, and most of all, his family. Over the last four years, he stoically refused to allow a daunting series of medical problems to overcome his wit, warmth and spirit.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lenore (Elman), his sons and daughters in law Steven and Rebecca Warner, Jacob and Nancy Hosay, Benjamin and Liza, and Robert and Jennifer, and his 10 cherished grandchildren: Daniel, Samuel, Sophie, Eve, Henry, Lucas, Maggie, Theo, Elias, and Annabel, all of whom miss him something awful. He is also survived by his beloved sister, Margery Russem, her husband Jerome, and six nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held Nov. 17 at Temple Shalom of Newton in West Newton.

Remembrances in his memory may be made to Clark University, 950 Main street, Worcester, MA 01610 or to Hebrew Senior Life, 1200 Centre street, Roslindale, MA 02131

Services were under the direction of Brezniak-Rodman Chapel in West Newton.