Madelyn Pickens Ashman

Madelyn Pickens Ashman

5 March 1938 - 23 June 2025

Please don’t call her Madelyn. She would only answer to Lyn, and she would let you know it was with only one N. At the nursing rehab facility where she spent her final few days, that is exactly what they called her with great affection: “Lyn with one N”. She administered her stubborn exactitude with a heavy dose of wry joviality. It was her unique charm.

Lyn with one N was born in Little Rock and raised in southeast Arkansas on her family’s farm in Desha county. She was in no shape or form a farm girl, but she did love animals and rarely told an animal story without tears in her eyes. Soon after graduating from Randolph-Macon College, she moved to her beloved New York City. She shared her tireless enthusiasm for the city with her southern friends and family, particularly her very lucky three nieces and four nephews, who all became street smart New Yorkers before their 10th birthdays. She probably holds the record for climbing the Statue of Liberty, especially for someone who actually found it to be the most mundane attraction the city had to offer. For this selfless commitment, she earned the title (which she made up herself) “Dear Sweet Aunt Lyn”. A friend gifted her a subscription to the City Ballet in the early ‘70’s in exchange for dog sitting, and it quickly became her favorite hang out. For nearly five decades, she never missed a season of anything Lincoln Center had to offer whether ballet, opera, or the symphony.

Lyn with one N’s life was not so much about what she did, but about who she was to the people she loved, which included just about anyone she met. Her rule for going out to eat was a two hour minimum—she would not rush the food and kept the conversation going. Girlfriends could count on marathon tete-a-tetes in her apartment whenever they would stop by. On the sidewalk in front of her building, she would draw a crowd of neighborhood dog owners and doormen for a friendly gossip exchange. She also loved epically long and raucous card games and hosted game nights in her home in New York and later in Little Rock with family and neighbors. Claiming to have no particular strategy, she almost always won the games by a long shot--a true card shark in dear, sweet aunt’s clothing. It was her brilliant intelligence, sharp wit, mercurial charm, and deep loyalty that brought everyone coming back for more.

Most of the people she knew in New York shared her love of dogs, especially poodles. She worked tirelessly with several different poodle rescue agencies in New York and the surrounding states. Loyal to the cause, she transported as many as thirty dogs in a weekend, earning her the title “Go-To Poodle Gal”. Her red Dodge Caravan was a well known and welcome sight for the rescue agencies and the families who adopted the rescues. For Lyn, the satisfaction of aiding in the rescue of neglected animals was priceless. “You get them from areas where there’s no place for them,“ she said, “and find them wonderful homes.” A few times it was her own home. The co-op board of the building she lived in on East 72nd Street for 48 years was no match for her fierce devotion to her own cherished standard poodles. Most NYers have never heard of a co-op board "looking the other way" as Lyn housed two and three standard poodles at a time over the years, loudly ignoring the strict one dog policy. She spent hours every day in Central Park with her dogs, making lifelong friends among the other dog lovers.

After her husband passed away in 2019, Lyn with one N returned home to Arkansas to the delight of her family and friends, and the consternation of the many friends she made in her decades in New York. She passed away very peacefully on 23 June, after acing the Wordle and reading the Letters to the Editor in the NY Times, her daily ritual.

Lyn was preceded in death by her sister, Rebecca Jane Pickens, her niece Madelyn Lambi, her nephew Jay Pickens, and her husband, Joseph W. Ashman. She is survived by her brother, Andrew Pickens of Pickens, Arkansas, nieces Catherine Lambi of Raleigh, NC and Kendall (and John) Jacobs of Little Rock; nephews Daniel (and Michon) Lambi of Queens, NY, Drew Pickens of Little Rock, and Luke Pickens of Phoenix, Arizona; great-nieces and nephews Lillian and Freddie Jacobs and Olivia Pickens of Little Rock, Stephen Pickens of Dumas, Arkansas and Andrew Pickens of Little Rock; and great-great nephews Oliver Pickens of Little Rock, and Elliot and Whit Pickens of Dumas; and her beloved poodles Pip and Darcy.

In lieu of flowers, Lyn with one N would ask that you hug your pets, never miss a Jeopardy, and love unconditionally. If you don’t know what unconditional love looks like, just ask anyone who knew her.

Donations in her honor can be made to Poodle Rescue Connecticut at poodlerescuect.org or to the rescue organization of your choice.

A Memorial is set for on Monday 30 June from 5-7pm at The Root Cafe in Breckenridge Village off of Rodney Parham road in Little Rock. Please return to this website for further obituary information.