Linda C. Beach of Mansfield passed away early Wednesday morning, October 14, 2026, in the hospice care unit at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital at the age of 78. Although her earthly life ended, Linda graciously gave the gift of life to others through her donations at LifeBanc.
She was born on September 7, 1948, in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, to the late Mae E. (Schrecengost) and Donald B. Schaeffer. Her family moved to Crestline in the early 1960s, and she graduated from Crestline High School as co-valedictorian with the Class of 1966.
Linda married Donald Beach on March 30, 1968, and they welcomed their daughter, Lana, in October of that same year. They lived in Decatur, Indiana, from 1975-1990 where she was a stay-at-home mom until her daughter began Junior High school. Linda then decided she wanted to pursue a career in nursing. She went to school in Fort Wayne, Indiana at IPFW (Indiana Purdue at Fort Wayne) where she graduated with a degree in nursing and then began working as a registered nurse.
In 1990, the family moved back to Ohio and Linda started her career at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital working as an oncology nurse until the early 2000s. She then went to work at Third Street Family Health Services and also worked for Quest Diagnostics as a health screener. She officially retired in 2024 at the age of 76.
Linda was very active at St. John’s United Church of Christ where she was the head of member care, and she and Don served on the governing board. She devoted her life to caring for others and is now getting a much-deserved rest in Heaven. Many who knew Linda knew of her unrivaled love of chocolate. One of her favorite sayings was, “Give me the chocolate and nobody will get hurt!” She will be deeply missed and loved forever by family and friends alike.
She is survived by her husband of 58½ years, Donald G. Beach; daughter, Lana S. Beach (Eric Rendel) of MI; grandchild, Alex Rendel of MI; brother, Larry (Sheila) Schaeffer of Ontario, OH; sister, Susan (Mike) Hoffman of Shelby, OH; brother-in-law, David (Deb) Beach of FL; nephews, Kevin Schaeffer (Erika Sloan) of TX and Kenneth Beach of Mansfield; and nieces, Cheyanne (Manuel) Costilla of FL and Diana Rumer of Crestline.
In addition to her parents, Linda was preceded in death by her mother-in-law and father-in-law; baby daughter, Laura Ann Beach; brother-in-law, Roger Beach and nephew Keith Beach.
A gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 6:00-8:00 pm at Wappner Funeral Directors and Crematory-Ontario, 100 S. Lexington-Springmill Road. The memorial service will be held at the Ontario home of Wappner Funeral Directors on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or St. John's United Church of Christ.
