Linda Jean Petric

Linda Jean Petric
Austinburg – Linda J. Petric, 78, passed away April 25, 2025, in the emergency room of the Ashtabula Regional Medical Center.
She was born in Ashtabula on May 11, 1946, the daughter of Leo and Aili (Uitto) Merilla.
She was a 1964 graduate of Ashtabula High School. She went on to further her education at Kent State University, where she received her degree in Elementary Education in 1968. She then continued to receive her master's degree in education from Edinboro University. Linda taught for 33 years at Ridgeview Elementary School and finally retired in 2001, most of those years spent as the kindergarten teacher. Her greatest joy in life came from teaching children.
Linda's father introduced her to Will Petric, a young boy from her neighborhood, then that young boy became a man and on June 22, 1968, she became his bride. This coming June Will and Linda would have celebrated 57 years of marriage. A marriage that was filled with love, happiness, and a lifetime of the most priceless memories.
Linda loved her Finnish heritage and visited Finland twice. She loved her relatives there and invited some of them to visit here in America. Linda also traveled all over the United States. Linda loved music and had a beautiful voice. She often sang along at concerts and made everything sound better. She was an amazing cook, and her apple pies were famous at family reunions. She also enjoyed collecting beach-glass and making jewelry. Linda and Will had a farm, and there were all kinds of animals on that farm that Linda just loved. Her rabbits and sheep along with ponies, chickens and of course her favorites were her cats. She loved theater and the fine arts and supported The Ashtabula Arts Center and all the local high school theater programs.
Will and Linda adopted their daughter Nicole when she was 13 years old. Parenting was a rewarding and challenging labor of love. They were blessed with Nicole who then blessed them with their only grandchild, William. William was Linda's little companion and her best buddy.
Linda was a fighter, and she refused to surrender to the many health problems that affected her. She fought until her final breath. In these last years Linda made many new friends at the Jefferson Senior Center and those friendships added much beauty to her final years of life. Those friendships along with the friends she made with her fellow educators were priceless.
She is survived by her loving family, her husband Will; her daughter, Nicole (Scott Fritts) Petric; her grandson William Fritts, that she absolutely adored; her sisters: Sandie (Glenn) Edwards and Mary Ellen Barna; as well as her sister and brother-in-law's and her nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother-in-law Joseph Barna.
Private funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 29th at the Jefferson Nazarene Church.
Condolences can be left at www.fleming-billman.com or can be sent directly to Will at 1640 Dadeyville Rd., Austinburg Ohio, 44010. Memorial contributions can be made in her name to the Ashtabula Arts Center, 2928 W. 13th St. Ashtabula, Ohio 44004.
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