Jane Imbody
| Reporter assisted by AI
The homestead of Larry and Mary Traxler at 642 Ward Drive has been named the Yard of the Month for September by the Art of Gardening Club.
According to a community announcement, the couple’s property features a retaining wall filled with a variety of shrubs and flowers, which caught the attention of club scouts Cathy Siwek, Patty Stauffer, Sally Ahlers and Claudia Dunn.
The Traxlers received gift certificates from the club and Farm and Home Hardware, along with a “Yard of the Month” sign for display. The couple, who will celebrate 60 years of marriage in January, moved to Ashland in 2007 from Shelby, where Larry Traxler worked at ArcelorMittal for 38 years. Mary Traxler retired from Sprint in 2003.
The Traxlers’ son, Larry Jr., and his wife, Jerri, were recently featured on the cover of “Boutique Design” magazine. They built a library for villagers in Africa and reside in Bethesda, Maryland. Their daughter, Shelly Fitzcharles, lives in Ashland and has a son, Collin, who is 22 and lives in Columbus.
The backyard of the Traxlers’ home is filled with yuccas, some of which were given to them by their daughter. A dogwood tree was a gift from their grandson when he was in kindergarten. A wrought iron fence helps keep deer out, and the backyard also features an elderberry bush.
The front porch is adorned with basil, which the Traxlers use as a pizza topping. Along the garage are zinnias, passion fruit, calibrachoa, canna and dwarf papyruses. Three metal butterflies decorate the brick wall of the garage.
This story was created by Jane Imbody, jimbody@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
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