Elizabeth Lotshaw

Elizabeth (Ann) T. Lotshaw, age 95, of Waterville died Monday, June 13, after a long and well-lived life, with family by her side. Ann was born May 18, 1927, in Cleveland, Ohio, the first of three daughters to Elizabeth Gaking and William Taylor.

Ann attended Charles Brush High School in South Euclid and graduated in 1945. She loved to tell the story of the day she and her best friend skipped school to attend a Frank Sinatra concert, “hitching” a ride downtown with the school principal. Following graduation, Ann attended Ohio State University with the intention of majoring in Agriculture, but plans changed when she met the love of her life, Elmer Lotshaw. They married in June, 1948, and she graduated with a BS in Education in 1949. Many years later, Ann returned to school at the Univ. of Toledo to complete the current requirements for teacher certification, and she taught Language Arts and Ohio History in the AW school district.

Ann and Elmer began their family while still at OSU in Columbus; they added a second child while her husband pursued his education at the University of Iowa, and a third while Elmer taught at Washington University in St. Louis. After the purchase of a home in Glendale, Mo., they added a fourth child to the family. In that 1890’s Victorian home, Ann not only raised her family, but she developed many skills by remodeling their old house; wallpapering, painting, and woodworking, among others.

In addition to actively participating in her children’s lives and teaching, Ann focused her interests on horticulture and gardening, outdoor recreation, home renovation and history, art and quilting. Moving the family to Waterville in 1961 gave her ample land to develop large perennial gardens filled with unusual flowers, shrubs and trees. In off-seasons, Ann examined flower and seed catalogs to find new plants to order for the following spring. The Waterville home also provided Ann and Elmer a base for many outdoor adventures with family and friends; hiking, camping and canoeing throughout many wilderness areas in the Great Lakes region, including Canada. Those excursions were followed by years of summer sailing and cruising in Lakes Erie and Huron, including the North Channel and the Georgian Bay. Always seeking another challenge, Ann pursued her love of history and old homes by volunteering with the Waterville Historical Society, and then becoming President from 2005-2010. While still active in the Historical Society, she researched and published two volumes about the original, historical homes of Waterville. As her children grew and started their own families, Ann also began quilting. She created beautiful hand-stitched heirloom quilts, for all her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; still doing the work by hand as she reached her 90’s.

Always fiercely independent and outspoken, Ann will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by her family. Ann was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Elmer, and her sister Marjorie. She is survived by her sister Marilyn Lucas; children: Leslie (Marty), David (Linda), Bill (Marlinda) and Lisa (Dale); 8 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 12 noon in Wakeman Cemetery, Waterville. A celebration of her life will follow at Monclova Community Center. Memorial contributions in Ann’s name may be made to the Waterville Historical Society, the Toledo Humane Society, The Toledo Zoo or the Toledo Museum of Art.  Arrangements by Maison-Dardenne-Walker Funeral Home, Maumee.