Leslie Lytle May

Leslie Lytle May, 82, passed away peacefully on October 10, 2025, at Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina. Born on December 8, 1942, Leslie was raised in Asheville, where she graduated from St. Genevieve of the Pines High School. She went on to earn her teaching degree from Greensboro College in 1964. Leslie began her career teaching in Prince George’s County Schools in Maryland before pausing her professional life to raise her family. She met her husband, James, on a blind date during college, and together they raised their family in Maryland, creating a home filled with warmth, purpose, and lasting memories. After raising her children, Leslie returned to the workforce, first as an account executive for the former Columbia Medical Plan, and later at the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service’s Home and Garden Information Center, where she found joy in answering plant and gardening questions from callers across the state. A passionate and accomplished gardener, Leslie was well-known for her numerous champion exhibits at the Howard County and Maryland State Fairs. She also became an expert shepherd, helping her children through lambing seasons and tenderly caring for bottle-fed lambs — some of which spent their early days by the warmth of the kitchen wood stove. Her deep love of animals and nature touched every part of her life. Leslie was a long-time, active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, where she started the Cookie Share holiday tradition and served as an Acolyte Mother. Her spirit of service extended beyond the church — she volunteered at a therapeutic riding center in western Howard County, taught gingerbread house-making classes, tutored children, and served as a voting judge during elections. She is survived by her children: Christopher (Michelle), Andrew (Sue), and Elizabeth (David); her grandchildren: Cody, Katie, James, and William; and her siblings: brothers John Hoskins and David Lytle, and sister Lisa Lytton. She was preceded in death by her mother, Martha Hoskins, father Fred Lytle, stepfather Jack Hoskins, and her husband James. A funeral service will be held on Friday, November 21, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church in Asheville. Interment will be private. The family invites friends and loved ones to gather for fellowship at 1:00 p.m. at The DoubleTree Hotel in Asheville – Biltmore. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Leslie’s memory to: The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust – sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/donate Guiding Eyes for the Blind – guidingeyes.org/donate

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Leslie Lytle May

December 8, 1942 - October 10, 2025