Johanna Lane Ashbaugh (née Hancock) was a fighter. She fought to complete her education, getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1984. She fought to get a job as a programmer/analyst at Duke Energy, for whom she worked for 20 years. She fought for her voice and independence during her divorce from her husband. She fought to find a place in this world for her disabled and always inquisitive daughter Channing. She fought for her ability to manage her life in her own way. More often than not, Johanna won her battles because of her superior intellect and tenacity. Alas, not all battles can be won, and Johanna passed away as a resident of Willowbrook Court at the Matthews Glen Retirement Community in 2023.

Johanna Ashbaugh was a comedian. She taught her son Hank the art of quips and double entendre that she learned at the foot of her father John Lane Hancock (a world-renowned prankster, fun time haver, cribbage player, and clock designer/engineer). The John Hancock gene was strong in Johanna, and she found funny takes on all manner of TV shows, weird life occurrences, and (for better or worse) bodily functions. Neologisms sprang from her lips on a regular basis, renaming things like cats as twans, the People’s Court tv show as Bongo Court, the TV Guide as v-guys, and lemonade as nema-nema-nee.

Johanna Ashbaugh played games. Her battle cry (copyrighted by her father) was “I wanna win!” This was performed with an upward thrusting motion as the hand closed to grasp victory. Her go to games were Scrabble, Boggle and Perquackey; word games that she was the master of. Her gaming downfall, however, was Trivial Pursuit, a game she would gleefully participate in while her son Hank (master of all things trivial) would wipe the board with her despite her own mighty intellect. Others may join in the games during the holidays, including her sisters Laraine and Wallie and her easy going (and aspiring Broadway star) mother, Lucille Hancock (née Meredith). No matter the situation, the box wine would flow and guffaws would be had. All the while during these get-togethers, Lucille would take long drags on her Virginia Slims, tell fantastic stories in a Texas drawl, and cast horoscope predictions to liven the mood.

Johanna Ashbaugh was a dog mother and a cat lover to many, many animals over the years. Dogs included: Dandy (Poodle), Sam (Dobermann), Grafter (Dobermann), Atari (Dachshund mutt), Rerun (Chihuahua/Dachshund mix), Lucy (Chihuahua), and finally Lola (Chihuahua). Cats included: Prissy, Spooky, Sabbath, Ming, Sushi, Bill, Rainman, and finally Socks. The diversity of cat types and colors does not enable us to list their specifics, however. She loved her pets, and her pets knew she loved them. At Matthews Glen one of her favorite times was when they brought dogs around for her to pet.

So …., what else is there to say because we can’t go on forever. Johanna loved and she was loved. Was it perfect? No, but that’s what made it so sweet, meaningful, and human; there was always something to work on. She had an excellent life and will be remembered for all her antics, long conversations, and mothering.

Johanna Lane Ashbaugh passed away on May 18th, 2023 at 3:20 AM in Matthews, North Carolina. She was born on July 8th, 1942 at 12:03 AM in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were John Lane and Lucille (aka, Tatee to her many grandkids) Hancock. She had an older sister Wallie Louise and a younger sister Laraine. Her parents and older sister predeceased her. She had two children who are alive and well: Henry (Hank) Snyder Ashbaugh III (born in 1968 in Chicago) who is married to Ginnette Marie Arguello; and Channing Lane Ashbaugh (born in 1971 in Charlotte). Her son is presently a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Tulane University in New Orleans, while her daughter lives in Waxhaw working with other members of the special needs community and making herself useful. Johanna lived in Chicago until 1971 when she moved to the Charlotte metro area. Upon her arrival she found that winter did not have to be overcast and snowy. She subsequently declared that she would never leave the comfort, peace, and warmer winters of North Carolina. This is a battle she easily won!

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