Great journalist, and friend

We lost one of our own this week. Linda Woodland was the managing editor for the Review Times in Fostoria. She had been with the newspaper since 1989. Linda became a colleague and friend of mine when our parent company, Ogden Newspapers, acquired The Courier and the Review Times in December of 2019. Since Fostoria is in the same county, naturally Linda and I worked closely to share content and produce quality newspapers. Ogden Newspapers also bought the Sandusky Register and the Norwalk Reflector in 2019, and it owns the Findlay Courier. I loved working with Linda. She checked in with me every night to make sure the process of putting the paper together was running smoothly. I looked forward to our evening phone calls where she would tell me what "goodies" she had to share. This was her nickname for pieces that might cross over well to run in both the Fostoria and Tiffin newspapers. We would chat about what was coming up, good stories currently in process, or any breaking news we heard about in one of our communities. On a personal level, we generally checked in on each other and Linda was always quick to lend support or advice if I was struggling in any way. Linda was a great mentor. As a young editor, I respect the knowledge of those who have been in journalism far longer than I have. In this regard, Linda did not disappoint. She gave me great insight as she showed me the ropes of the business the past nine months. One major focus for Linda was always our audience. She loved to talk about stories we should write to help the community become better informed. She would constantly give me tips and tricks of the trade for dealing with different issues in our evening phone conversations or email exchanges. Even when she was struggling with her own health battles, she prioritized getting the news out to others. Linda was a great journalist. I aspire to have as much passion and dedication as she had. When I was in college, there were many career options presented for someone getting a communications degree. Not knowing for sure which path I would choose, I heard the advice time and again to move forward in my career by finding something I truly loved to do. From working with Linda I know how much she honestly loved the Fostoria Review Times and her career with that newspaper. One thing I most enjoyed about Linda was her kind, compassionate spirit. She was one of the kindest people I have ever met. When I was sick, she called to check up on me although I was not even working that night. She was always there to lend a hand with stories, while editing, or as a sounding board for ideas. She did not sugarcoat just how difficult a job in journalism could be and she was also there to listen about the frustrations of the job and give the best advice she had. I will cherish the many conversations I had with her, including the last one on Tuesday where we shared a good laugh with our colleague Matt Westerhold on our daily Zoom call. I know I can speak for all of us from the Northwest Ohio group of Ogden Newspapers when I say we cherished Linda and her contributions to our community and our profession. Thank you, Linda, for all of your years of service and friendship. You will be greatly missed. * Linda Woodland was 61. Here is an excerpt from her obituary Linda Woodland She was the most amazing journalist and artist around. She was the editor of the Fostoria Review Times for 31 years. Although a less than average lifespan, Linda did not live an "average life." Linda wore many hats: journalist, photographer, editor, peacemaker, and foster mom to almost 30 kids. Godmother to five children who loved her dearly. She was an associate of the Sisters of Saint Francis in Tiffin. Linda was also a best friend, sister, cheerleader, life coach and her heart and home were always open to anyone in need.