Martha Jane Ashenfelter Leinbach

The world lost a unique woman August 20, 2023, when, surrounded by family and care-givers, Martha Jane Ashenfelter Leinbach died at age 93 in East Lansing, Michigan from complications of a stroke. She will be remembered by all who met her for her edgy wit and ability to connect with virtually any stranger. She would tolerate no fools, but her friends were entertained and received as much unsolicited advice as they could take. Her mind was sharp until the end, for which we are all grateful.

She was the last of her generation. Her husband of 64 years, Harold Adams Leinbach(known universally as Abe), died in 2017 and was greatly missed. She was the youngest of four children and only daughter of Horace Ashenfelter Jr. and Martha (Nyman) Ashenfelter of Collegeville, PA, with brothers Horace Ashenfelter III(Lillian), William Ashenfelter(Barbara), and Donald Ashenfelter(Edith) who all predeceased her, as did all her Leinbach in-laws.

Following the Ashenfelter athletic tradition, Jane earned 12 varsity letter letters in high school, but colleges in the 1940’s had few opportunities for female athletes, unlike for her 3 brothers(2 Olympians), all champions in track and cross country.

She graduated from Penn State University in 1951 where she sassily quipped, “the male to female ratio was 6 to 1, and I had more than my share.” There Jane met her future husband in a speech class, dazzling him with her skilled presentation of how to pluck, dress and prepare a fresh chicken for the table. They wed in 1953 and had three sons, Kenneth(Marion), Richard(Irma), and Philip(Tamra) in Rochester, New York then one more, Owen(Karna) in Saginaw, Michigan. There was a last family move to East Lansing where she settled for the rest of her days.

We believe she lived to work starting as a young girl, doing a woman’s share of the housework, then accompanying her father to the markets in Philadelphia to sell their farm produce on the weekends. Managing a home and raising her four boys was her next mission in life, encouraging all of them through Eagle Scout and swim practices, high school sports and academic achievement, then college and advanced degrees. Anyone who spent time with her knew how proud of them she was.

Over the course of 20 years Jane sold Electrolux vacuum cleaners as an independent representative and kept a large selection of vintage machines in her basement. Her skill at striking up conversations with any stranger made her a natural salesman, but she used that skill more in social situations. Then when Abe retired, Jane went to work as a special education teacher’s aide in the East Lansing Public Schools system. She enjoyed her severely disabled and disadvantaged students, helping them maximize their potential through her brand of discipline and support. Until the end she still remembered them fondly. Even more fondly, she remembered her 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

We want to thank all the friends and neighbors who helped her remain alone in her house for many years and the staff at Vista Springs/Timber Ridge assisted living, and McLaren Hospice for their caring attention during her final time.

A celebration of life is planned for a future date.