APHA Mourns Loss of National Directors Lynn Titlow and Linda Lewis

Lynn Titlow

Lynn Titlow passed away on October 4 after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer.

Born February 10, 1957, to Mary Helen and USMC Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Wosser in Waltham, Massachusetts, Lynn moved to Reno, Nevada, with her family when she was 8 years old. She got her first horse when she was 9, and as a youth successfully showed on the open horse show circuit, mostly in equitation and jumping classes. As a teenager, Lyn acquired a Quarter Horse gelding with whom she qualified and competed at the AQHA Junior World Championships; she also won an equitation class at the prestigious Cow Palace as an “unknown” competitor from Nevada, much to the chagrin of big-name trainers with clients in attendance, her husband, Travis, recounted.

Lynn graduated from Wooster High School in Reno and then went to the University of Nevada–Reno, where she graduated with a bachelor of science in agricultural economics. It was there she met her husband, Travis Titlow, during her freshman year, and it was love at first sight. Lynn often told the story of her first date with Travis and how she went home and told her mom that she had met the man she was going to marry. They married on December 23, 1978, and lived in Omaha, Nebraska, while Travis completed dental school.

Upon returning to Reno from Omaha, Travis was helping Lynn’s father build a house while waiting to take the state board exams. One evening, after visiting friend and trainer Wendy Vancuren-Simons, Lynn told Travis she bought a horse. Although neither had a permanent job nor a home of their own, they were proud owners of a solid Paint-bred mare, Sabrina Knox.

Moving to Roseville, California, in pursuit of a dental job, Travlyn Paint Horses was soon born, growing from that one solid Paint-bred mare to more than 55 horses at one point. Lynn and her family became quite active in Paint Horse activities; she was a lifetime member of APHA, the Sierra Paint Horse Club, the California Paint Horse Association and the Nevada Paint Horse Club, as well a member of other regional clubs at various times. She served in virtually every elected position in many of those clubs and was a representative to the California Coordinating Committee. Lynn was the CCC point-keeper for several years and was the first to do it by computer. She was a founding member of the Northern California Championship Circuit, an awards program created to increase participation at shows for active clubs. She was also the SPHC Breeder’s Classic Futurity coordinator and an active participant for the SPHC Stallion Service Auction.

In the 1980s, Lynn was asked to help generate more California support for the Zone 2 Paint Horse show and helped rebuild the show at the Reno Livestock Events Center. From that impetus, the Zone 2 show is now consistently the No. 1 APHA show. Through the years, Lynn served in every elected position for the Zone 2 Committee.

In 1991, Lynn was elected as an APHA national director from California. She served on the Amateur Committee—where she was chairman for more than 10 years—as well as the Rules, Judges, Director Nominating and Executive Nominating committees and the Youth Development Foundation and Scholarship Review Committee. She received her Director at Large distinction for 25 years of service in 2016.

Travlyn Paint Horses stood two stallions over the years, both of which were shown by Lynn. She piloted Travlyn In Style to his Open and Amateur APHA Championships and was the reserve Honor Roll champion in Amateur 2-Year-Old Stallions; they earned points in every class they tried. She showed Hesa Dirty Rocki to an Open APHA Champion award and Superiors in Open and Amateur Western Pleasure. Her favorite horse, however, was her 1976 black overo mare Bow Bonnie Prize. Lynn and Bonnie won an APHA world championship in Amateur Utility Driving and two reserve world championships in Open Utility Driving. Throughout the early 1990s, Lynn and Bonnie were consistently No. 1 on the APHA Honor Roll in Open and Amateur Utility Driving; they’re still the APHA Lifetime Leading Point-Earners in Amateur Utility Driving and No. 2 in the Open Utility Driving.

In recent years, Lynn enjoyed being a horse-show mom and watching her grandchildren while daughter Marissa showed. Lynn was the most passionate, loving and loyal person, Travis says; she never did anything halfway and would do anything for family. Her family and animals were her world, and APHA was her extended family.

As such, in lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the American Paint Horse Foundation for a scholarship in her honor—click the orange “Give a Gift” button at the top of apha.com and scroll down to the “Honorarium or Memorial Endowment” section; list “Lynn Titlow” in the Designee box, and note how much you’d like to give.

Linda Lewis

APHA member and national director Linda Lewis died September 13 at her home in The Villages, Florida, due to complications from cancer. She was 68.

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Linda graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a master’s of education in administration and supervision. While at college, Linda met her husband, Allen, and they married soon after graduation.

For their 10th wedding anniversary, Allen gifted Linda with her first horse—a gift that helped ignite a lifelong passion for every equine, according to her obituary.

A longtime APHA member, Linda owned and showed a number of Paint Horses. One of her first was Colonel Frede Joe, a 1979 chestnut tobiano gelding she purchased in 1987. Shown by Linda and her daughter, Tamra, the gelding earned Amateur and Youth versatility titles and 1,119 lifetime points. In Amateur and Novice Amateur competition aboard several Paints, Linda earned 2,475 points, 2 APHA Champion titles, four Versatility awards, 31 Registers of Merit and 16 Superior Event awards.

Active in the Florida Paint Horse Club, Linda was a club director for many years and served as an APHA national director since 2012; she was also an active participant on the Amateur Advisory Committee this year.

Preceded in death by her husband, Allan, Linda is survived by: children Christopher and Barbara Lewis, and Tamra and Tim Lloyd; brothers John and Gary; and grandchildren Bella, Brooklynne, Bailey, Colton and Avery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Linda’s honor to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance.