Ashley Hogue

Ashley Brittany (Elliott) Hogue, age 39, died on August 27, 2024 following a 5 month illness brought on by a brain surgery and subsequent fall in her home. As she did throughout her life, Ashley fought to survive when odds were declared humanly impossible.

Her will to live far exceeded the expectations of her medical professionals and she finally grasped the hand of God confident her family knew how much she loved each and every one of them, knowing her work was done on earth and that she was being called Home by her Lord and Savior.

Despite extraordinary life challenges, Ashley’s Faith was remarkably deep and it is hard to imagine anyone with a more giving, caring or loving soul. Her secret to being happy was to make others happy. She literally touched the lives of everyone who encountered her. Her smile was unforgettable, her red hair captivating and her love for her family was present every minute of every day. She impacted the world with her overwhelming kindness. Her outlook on life was simple. Shower everyone with so much love and kindness that they would carry the same on to others. Her favorite quote was “Every day isn’t a good day, but there is something good in every day.” And this is how she lived every minute. Searching for the good in every day and doing what she could to be the good in someone else’s day. Her family was so very proud of her for living life the way we all should and serving as a daily reminder of what love and kindness can do for others.

Ashley was a 2002 graduate of Gahanna High School. After attending the University of Toledo, a series of medical issues including multiple brain surgeries led her down a path in life most of us can’t fathom. But she took every step with incredible grace, never once complained and smiled her way through all the challenges.

She lived with and cared for her grandfather until his passing in 2015 and during this time chose to work at the Panera Bread Company just 5 blocks away so she could be close to home for him. As with everything in life, she gave all she had to her job earning employee of the month honors almost monthly and making every day brighter for her many regular customers. She was a voracious consumer of books of all types and loved true crime stories. But her real passion in life was her love for children and dogs of all shapes and sizes. She loved working for the Dublin Learning Academy surrounded by children and spent her final life chapter watching the daughters of Kevin and Julie Henzel in their home.

In 2017, she met the love of her life and married him on September 23, 2018. She insisted that her first date with Ben take place at a Wendy’s just outside Bexley so she could make a quick getaway if need be. Much to her surprise that first date led two soulmates on an unprecedented love journey. Ben was the love of Ashley’s life and she told everyone who would listen how lucky she was to have him. The love they shared was obvious to all and they experienced more love, laughter and devotion in 7 years than most encounter in an entire lifetime.

Ashley was preceded in death by her grandmother Betty Ann Elliott, grandfathers Joseph Davis, Rex Elliott and John Edward Fixari, uncles David Elliott (Lisa) and Jude Davis and her aunt Tracy Frank (Randy).

She is survived by almost too many family members to count all of whom descended on The Ohio State University Medical Center in April and May as she fought so hard to live. In particular, Ashley is survived by her adoring husband Ben Hogue, her “babies” Cooper, Coco and Sophie, mother Toni O’Reilly (Kyle), father Rex Elliott (Samantha), in-laws Rick and Laurie Hogue, grandmothers Charlotte Davis and Charlotte Fixari, sisters Alexandra Elliott (Jack Shirley), Gabrielle Elliott (Trevor Seitz), Reese Elliott and Cydney O’Reilly, brother Aidan O’Reilly, niece Ryleigh O’Reilly, cousins Caroline Elliott, Annie Elliott, Grace Elliott, Erin Davis, Jared Frank, Jason Frank, Tom Davis, Matthew Davis, Michael Davis, Drew Elliott and Jack Elliott, uncles Preston Elliott (Jill), Matt Davis (Tracy), Pat Davis, aunt Lisa Davis and numerous great aunts, uncles and other family members.

A celebration of Ashley’s life will be held for family members on September 5, 2024, her 40th birthday.

Ashley’s family would like to express eternal gratitude to Dr. John McGregor and Dr. Ciaran Powers who did all they could to heal her brain along with the many nurses on the 10th Floor Neuro ICU at OSU and the scores of therapists who worked tirelessly for Ashley during her recovery efforts. Ashley’s family is also moved beyond words by the outpouring of love and support from friends both near and far during this terribly difficult time. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Columbus Humane Society in order to improve the lives of animals without homes of their own.