Max and Marilyn spent much of their lives living and working in Ashland County. Max was born and raised in a very large family in Spartanburg, IN., graduated from Spartanburg High School, and the Gale Institute in Minnesota. Following graduation from Gale he was hired to work on the B&O Railroad, which brought him to Ohio. He continued to work on the railroad through various corporate mergers before retiring from CSX after 43 years. Shortly after being hired on the railroad, Max was drafted into the US Army. He was sent to South Korea to train soldiers in code prior to the Vietnam War. Following discharge from the army he returned to Ashland and his work on the railroad. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks, the American Legion, the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railway Employees Unit 144, and Christ Community Evangelical Free Church. He was an avid golfer, a former club champion at Rolling Acres golf course. Marilyn graduated from Mapleton High School, Kent State University, then The Ohio State University where she obtained a Master’s degree in Social Work in the areas of health and mental health. Although she worked in various Social Work roles in other counties, following marriage, she and Max moved to Savannah, Ohio. Marilyn was the Director of the Ashland County Council on Aging when the building project on Third Street was planned and initiated, then worked at Samaritan Regional Health system for nearly 28 years as the Director of Social Services and Discharge Planning. She also worked as a therapist in private mental health practice. Throughout her career she served in various capacities on multiple boards of area service agencies. She loved founding and working on community projects including as a study committee chair for hospice services, which eventually became Hospice of North Central Ohio, Critical Incident Stress Team of Ashland and Richland County for Emergency and Health Care providers, founding board of Appleseed Community Mental Health Center, Employee Assistance Program at Samaritan, and others. One very active role was at the Women’s Fund of the Ashland County Community Foundation, working with other members of the Women’s Fund on the Childcare Initiative, which brought about Foundations Community Childcare, Inc. Marilyn was twice voted as the Ohio Society of Health Care Social Workers Social Worker of the Year. She received the Lucille G. Ford Freedom from Selfishness Award in 2025. Marilyn is currently a member of the Women’s Fund of the Ashland County Community Foundation, the National Association of Social Workers, the Case Management Society of America, and is the Secretary of the National Association of Retired and Veteran Railway Workers, Unit 144. Both Max and Marilyn learned from very young ages the importance of hard work and saving – he in his large family in rural Indiana, she working in her mother’s restaurant. They also learned the importance of giving and the joy of sharing. Max and Marilyn have established four separate ACCF funds that include a Charitable Fund for the benefit of the Cat House Feline Sanctuary, Inc., Back to the Wild, and The OSU Stone Laboratory – Gibraltar Island; a Scholarship Fund for College Seniors; an Alzheimer’s and Dementia Community Education Fund; and a Childcare Tuition Assistance Fund.

Prepared 2025

Darlene was born in Elyria, Ohio on December 7, 1932. She married Melvin Bauer in 1957 and moved to Ashland. Melvin served as the city engineer for Ashland until his retirement. They raised five children and both stressed the importance of education and giving back to the community. Darlene anonymously donated to many charities throughout her life, but since her passing on September 2, 2021, her children thought it would be fitting to recognize her contribution to the Ashland County Community Foundation and are excited and humbled to be told of the new fund that has been created in her memory, the Darlene A. Bauer Unrestricted Fund.

Darlene was a member of St. Edward Catholic Church. She taught art classes at St. Edward School for 10 years. Darlene was also an aide at Montgomery, Lincoln, and St. Edward School. She volunteered at Samaritan Hospital for over 20 years and she also worked at the St. Edward Hunger Center for roughly the same amount of time.

Darlene was a teacher, a decorator, and an artist during her lifetime, but her true passion was being a wife to Melvin and sharing their love of the Ashland community in which they enjoyed such a wonderful life with their family and friends. Her contribution to the Ashland County Community Foundation was her way of seeing to the continuation of the great things that they had witnessed in their lives here in Ashland and for the continuation of Ashland’s promising future.

Prepared 2022.

Richard (Dick) Smail graduated from Ashland High School in 1951.  He graduated from Ohio University in 1956 with a B.S. Journalism degree specializing in Advertising.

He spent 8 years in the U.S. Army Reserves.  He was honorably discharged as a captain in the Civil Affairs–Military Government Corp.

Richard was born in Ashland, Ohio, and spent most of his life as a resident of Ashland.

He started caddying at the Ashland Country Club in 1944.  He picked up the game of golf and has played since he was 11 years of age.  He joined his good friend, John (Jack) Thomas Miller, in sponsoring The Jack Miller/Dick Smail Golf Scholarship. 

The Foundation is a great way to administer the scholarship and assist young golfers who want to continue their education and golf career. 

Prepared 2011

Robert William Casciani and Martha Davies Casciani were both graduates of Ashland High School.  Bob furthered his education, graduating from The Ohio State University with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1943.  He then went to work for Linde Air Products in Buffalo, NY, assigned to the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb).  He came back to Ashland to work for the F. E. Myers & Bros. Company from which he retired in 1979 as V. P. of Manufacturing and Engineering.  Bob was also active in the Myers sports program—managing the softball team, playing golf, and being the statistician for the Myers Pumps basketball team. 

When they were married on November 16, 1945, Martie was working at the Mansfield Tire & Rubber Co. as a secretary.  Being avid boaters, they spent 35 years boating on the Great Lakes.  They were active members of the Mansfield Power Squadron where Bob was a Past Commander.  He obtained the rank of Navigator and taught boating courses.  

Martie joined the First Presbyterian Church in 1934 and is still an active member.  She also is a 50 year member of Sarah Copus Chapter – Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Bob was very civic minded and committed to the community.  He served on the Boards of Dale Roy School, Ashland Public Library, and Samaritan Hospital from 1981 to 1988, serving as chairman from 1985 to 1988.  Martie was a Red Cross Volunteer serving as a Gray Lady at the hospital and also at the Blood Bank.

Bob died on November 15, 2003, just one day before their 58^th Anniversary. 

Prepared 2005

Janet Young graduated from Loudonville High School in 1953 and continued her education at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio taking job related and correspondence courses. She was employed for 37 years as a Civil Servant in Federal Civil Service until her retirement in 1990. Janet has worked at the Shelby Air Force Depot in Shelby; the Olmsted Air Force Base in Middletown, Pennsylvania; Defense Electronic Supply Center and Defense Contract Administration Services—Cleveland, both in Dayton; and Defense Supply Agency in Columbus.

Ms. Young is a resident of the Loudonville Community and a member of Zion LutheranChurch and Zion Singles Support Group. Hobbies include playing cards, reading and crossword puzzles, dining out with friends, and attending local events and plays.

Janet’s desire to support several charities in her hometown of AshlandCounty led to her placing money with the Ashland County Community Foundation. The Foundation helps accomplish Janet’s primary interest of using her dollars for good, forever.

Prepared 2007

Lloyd and Norma Hostettler started dating as seniors while attending Ashland High School. After they both graduated from college in 1951, and while Lloyd was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, they were married. Their first child, Keith, was born in the naval hospital in Camp Lejeune, N.C. Seventeen years later Keith died. A memorial scholarship fund was set up in Keith’s memory. To insure the perpetual management of this fund, it was transferred to the Ashland County Community Foundation.

The Wygants state, “The Ashland County Community Foundation is the ideal organization to administrate this fund as it has an established committee to select the yearly recipient of the scholarship, insures continuation of the fund in the future and provides an easy way to add to the fund upon our death. We have also chosen the Foundation to manage our other legacy bequest because it is possible to have instruction in place as to how these bequests are to be managed and dispensed without the need for court cost or legal fees.”

Prepared 2005

Bill and Lutie Wolford have been married for 60 years. They met at Ashland College (now Ashland University) when they were both students. They have been Ashland County residents since the early 1950s.

Bill grew up on a farm in Richland County and graduated from Madison High School. After graduating from Ashland College in 1952, he served two years in the Korean Conflict in the US Army. He began his career as Deputy Auditor for Ashland County (5 years) and retired as Ashland County Treasurer in 1994 (7 years). In between, he spent 25 of his working years as the managing officer, secretary/treasurer of Home Federal Savings and Loan. He has been a Lions member for 56 years – with perfect attendance! Since retiring in 1994, he enjoys woodworking and golfing.

Lutie grew up on a farm in Medina County and spent two years at Ashland College taking business courses. She worked at Hess & Clark for 11 years, then as Treasurer for the Ashland County West-Holmes Joint Vocational School (as it was called then), retiring in 1990. She very much enjoys genealogy. She’s a member of the Ohio Genealogical Association, Ashland Chapter and has written several books on her family history. She also like reading and gardening.

The Wolfords are members of First United Methodist Church, having served on various church and community committees, to include Bill’s service on the United Way Board of Trustees and Lutie’s volunteering at the Food Bank. They’ve spent 15 winters in Arizona and continue their community involvement there as well – Lutie at the Food Bank and Bill with the Lions and volunteering at the RV park.

Prepared 2014

Frances B. Wolfe was an Ashland High School graduate and a 1938 graduate of Ashland College. She served as an elementary school teacher in the Mansfield, Ohio area for most of her life. Her care and concern for children, as well as her value of education, can still be seen today.

Though she lived in Lakeside, Ohio, for the last 23 years of her life, Ms. Wolfe desired to leave a legacy for students in the Ashland community. In her estate, she named ACCF to receive a gift to create a scholarship fund for Ashland High School students. This scholarship, in memory of her parents, is named the Earl and Mary Wolfe Memorial Scholarship in Mathematics. A second gift from her estate was designated for addition to an existing scholarship, previously created by Ms. Wolfe in honor of her sister, Mary Ellen Wolfe.

For perpetuity, Frances Wolfe’s legacy will live on through her two memorial scholarships. It is profound to think of the many students that will benefit from these scholarships.

Prepared 2005

Mary Lou was born on April 11, 1930 to John Emmet and Mary Jane (Ferguson) Wertman. An Ashland High School graduate, Miss Wertman graduated from Baldwin-Wallace University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing in Cleveland. She also attended Ashland University, The Ohio State University and North Central State College.

Her nursing career spanned Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital, Ashland Samaritan Hospital and MedCentral Mansfield Health System. She also did public health nursing with the Mansfield-Richland County Health Department. Mary Lou is a past member, past president, and past board member of the Mohican Nurses Association, a past member of Ohio Nurses Association and American Nurses Association, and received certification in nursing administration by the American Nurses Association.

She is a member of Grace Brethren Church where she has served on the Missions Commission, Membership Commission, and recording secretary for congregational business meetings. She is a past-president of Coordination Council of Women of Grace and the past-chairman of Women’s Enrichment Series Committee. She also served as a board member of NCO District Women of Grace. Miss Wertman was a recipient of the Senior Medal of Ministry in 2000 and honorary title of Church Historian in 2015.

She served the Christian Business and Professional Women’s Council as a past-chairman and Stonecroft Ministries as a past-area representative. She volunteered with the American Red Cross in Georgia during tropical storm Alberto. She also served seven years on the Board of Trustees of the Area Agency on Aging, Mansfield, Ohio.

Miss Wertman is committed to helping provide higher education to future students. It is her desire that a charitable remainder trust will serve something that will last forever—people!

Prepared 2005