SPENCERVILLE — Linda Sue (Hoch) Ashbaugh, 75, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family, at 10:26 pm on August 1, 2017 at her residence after long illness and disability. She was born December 27, 1941 in her family's home on Elizabeth Street in Spencerville, Ohio, to Clayton and Frances (Wright) Hoch (both deceased). When Linda was 3 years old her family acquired a dairy farm in Auglaize County on Baker-Wright Road (at the corner with SR 116), where Linda grew up learning about dairy and crop farming, and had her own horse from the time she was 7 years old. In connection with farm life she participated in 4H wherein she became an accomplished seamstress, and in Grange activities with her Parents and Grandparents. For all 12 of her primary and secondary school years she attended Spencerville schools, where she graduated High School as a member of the Class of 1959. Early insight to the independence of her character can be found from a report that her sisters are fond of recalling from Elementary School, in a time when all schoolgirls wore dresses, Linda once came home from school with the sewn-on cloth belt of her dress partly torn away, for which she explained that "We were playing Cowboys and Indians and I was a horse." That independence of character came to light again during High School, when, being a farm girl, instead of taking Home Economics she became the first female in the State of Ohio to enter and complete the Vocational Agriculture program, for which she had to argue with the school administration (and win, with the help of the program supervisor, Mr. Richard Hummel) because in those days "Vo-Ag" was considered to be for boys only. Although Linda's only motive was to learn more about farming, at the same time without meaning to she achieved a pioneering accomplishment in education for women, for which she was awarded status of Honored Alumnus by the Spencerville High School Alumni Association at their Annual Banquet in 2017. Linda validated her Vo-Ag participation by raising a Holstein dairy bull (whom she named "Governor") during her final year of High School and presenting him the following year at the Allen County Fair, where he did indeed govern, as he was declared Grand Champion.

Linda always loved music: played clarinet in High School, sang alto with vocal concert and church groups wherever she lived, for many years held season tickets to the leading classical orchestra nearest her home (such as Tucson Symphony, Boston Pops, Lima Symphony), and the FM tuner in her high-quality home audio system plays music from all-classical WDPR (Dayton, OH) all day. Linda also loved to dance, and together with her husband participated in American Square Dance activities for over 30 years, achieving proficiency at Challenge level (C1).

After High School Linda earned her Diploma in Accounting at the Northwestern School of Commerce in Lima (now The University of Northwestern Ohio) and worked in that field until 1976, when she moved to Tucson, Arizona, to join her parents who had moved there previously for health reasons. In Tucson, Linda studied Real Estate Mortgage and Escrow principles and practice at Pima Community College and became an Escrow Officer with Title Guaranty Agency until 1986, when she joined the Accounting Department of the Catalina Foothills Public School system where she worked until she retired in 1993. Her sense of adventure led her to fly, with her husband in their own small airplane, over the offshore waters of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S. and to many destinations across the Country; to adventure twice down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon on an oar-powered raft; to participate in hot-air ballooning for nine years as a crew member and simultaneously as manager of concessions for eight years with the Tucson Balloon Festival (a 100-balloon week-end event that involved more than 100 concessionaires) during 18 years of residence in that city; and to experience the world abroad during travels in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Nova Scotia, and northwestern Mexico. After retirement she resided in Payson, Arizona in the heart of the Ponderosa Pine forest at 5000 feet altitude until late 1999, then moved to a 60-acre forested farm site in the small town of Belmont in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, where she resided until 2004 when she returned to Ohio, where she and her husband purchased a 23-acre horse farm in Amanda Township, Allen County, on which they operated a small boarding stable until Linda became ill, and where they have continued to reside. In Ohio Linda also continued her long-time Lutheran affiliation by being active in New Creation Lutheran Church in Lima, where she contributed her accounting skills in the church office, participated in outreach activities in local nursing homes, and has remained a member since becoming disabled.

Whenever she lived in a garden-friendly climate (which southern Arizona was not), Linda planted a vegetable garden each growing season, shared her interest in gardening as a member of local garden clubs, and preserved her produce in old-fashioned canning sessions over a hot stove.

Linda's survivors include Richard Ashbaugh, her husband of 32 years; two sisters, Barbara (Carl) Kill of Celina, OH and Cheryl (Mike) Wright of Summerville, SC; niece Carla (Rod) Hirschfeld of Celina, OH; grand-nephew Greg Hirschfeld and grand-niece Megan Hirschfeld; nephew Eric (Donna) Kill of Cardington, OH, and grand-nephews Matthew Kill, Josh Kill, and Daniel Kill; niece Jennifer (Chad) Lucht of Pickerington, OH and grand-nephew Cameron Lucht; nephew Adam (Michelle) Wright of Goose Creek, SC, niece Angela (Jamie) Wood of Summerville SC, grand-niece Madeline Wood and grand-nephew Hayden Wood; her fellow classmates of the Spencerville High School Class of 1959 with whom affiliation has continued since graduation and whom she regards with the highest respect; and several generations of beloved canine companions that were all rescues in one way or another, always at least two in the family and sometimes as many as four, including over the years one German Shepherd, nine Doberman-Pinschers, one Rottweiler, and presently two: a Rat Terrier and a Rottweiler-German Shepherd mix.

For family and friends alike, Linda will be sorely missed, and always remembered for her indomitable spirit, love for life, lyrical speaking and singing voice, prize-worthy mushroom soup, generous and really wicked margaritas, and the world's best apple pie.

A Memorial Celebration for Linda will be held on Friday, August 11, 2017 beginning at 2:00 pm at the Thomas E. Bayliff Funeral Home, 728 E. 4th Street, Spencerville (419-647-4205). Contributions, flowers, etc. are not necessary. In accordance with Linda's wishes there will be no formal funeral, visitations, or viewing. Also per Linda's wishes, disposition of remains will be private.

Memorial donations may be made toward searches for treatment and cure of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (also known by its initials, PSP) to CurePSP, 30 E Padonia Rd, Suite 201, Timonium, MD 21093 or online at CurePSP.org