In loving memory of Linda Margaret Krausnick

Obituary

Linda Margaret (Robertson) Krausnick, 76, of Ocala died on December 9, 2020, shortly after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The date was notable, as it was also the 20th anniversary of her father’s death. Linda grew up in North Syracuse, New York, the oldest child of Walter Robertson and Beatrice (Manning) Robertson. She graduated from Liverpool High School and attended Central City Business Institute (CCBI). In 1965, she married Edward Krausnick and moved to Connecticut, settling in Clinton in 1972. She later attended Middlesex Community College and St. Joseph’s College, received her bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University, and did graduate coursework in public health.
Linda led an active, unconventional life, full of diverse interests and talents. Her artistic talents included stained glass, basketry, and kiln-fired pottery, particularly raku. She worked for several years as a pottery studio assistant at Southern Connecticut State University, where she was beloved by many of the students. Linda’s creative talents extended to her ambitious DIY projects (and a few hilarious misadventures) with Ed. Together, they added many custom features to their Clinton home and later completed a full renovation of their Ocala home.
Linda loved traveling throughout the Southwest and was especially fond of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she and Ed made numerous visits to their daughter Jennifer. Linda’s adventurous spirit also took her to Haiti for charity work, to Italy and Sicily with family and, most recently, to Costa Rica and Guatemala with Ed.
Linda’s world revolved around her love of nature and animals. In the 1970s, she founded Oakwood Standard Schnauzers and finished many American Kennel Club (AKC) champions. The Oakwood lineage continues to this day and is well known for enhancing the breed’s aesthetics. To date, five Oakwood schnauzers have been named National Specialty Winners. In her forties, Linda started riding horses and taking lessons in English riding and dressage, keeping two of her own horses. Over the years, she also cared for cats, chickens, ducks, a goat, and several abandoned baby birds.
After settling in Ocala in 2005, Linda developed her talent for gardening and landscaping. She loved “wild Florida landscapes” and applied her passion to creating a dynamic garden that enveloped her home, which included a beautiful butterfly garden, a habitat for her chickens, a koi pond with aquaponic features, and roaming space for her three beloved Jack Russell Terriers. She was fascinated by the bees, butterflies, lizards, toads and snakes inhabiting her garden, and she loved to photograph and research the many species of flora and fauna.
Linda found her true Florida “home” when she joined the Marion County Master Gardeners (Class of 2008), where she expressed her passion for lifelong learning and was known for her plant propagation skills, her technical presentations, and her contributions to the plant clinic and annual plant sale. In 2013, she received the statewide Outstanding Master Gardener Award. Linda loved spending time with her fellow Master Gardeners and formed many lasting friendships. In her last days, she wanted her MG friends to know how much they had enriched her life these last 12 years.
Linda is remembered by her husband of 55 years, Edward Krausnick; her two daughters, Jennifer Krausnick and Elizabeth (Carl) Giuffre; her brother, Robert Robertson; her sisters-in-law Joan Liggett and Violet Deborah Robertson; and her nephews, Benjamin, Andrew, and Robert Robertson. A memorial service for family, friends, and the Marion County Master Gardener community will be planned for Spring 2021.
Linda’s family would like to thank the staff of the Cates House at Hospice of Marion County for their compassionate care during her final days. Those who would like to honor Linda’s memory may make a charitable contribution to the North American Butterfly Association (/www.naba.org/), the Leukemia Research Foundation (allbloodcancers.org/) or Hospice of Marion County (hospiceofmarion.com).
Arrangements by Baldwin Brothers Funerals & Cremations 11250 SW 93rd Ct. Rd., Ocala 352-236-7813.