Ashley Hood grew up in Accokeek but now lives in Waldorf, according to her Facebook page. It was not clear how she died, but those who knew her said it was sudden and unexpected — leaving baby Mason Alexander without a mother.
"Ashley was a light to any room she entered," Danielle DiVitorio writes on a GoFundMe page for Ashley's family.
"Her vivacious personality and infectious, deep and hearty laugh was often contagious. Her soul was deep and her heart was of pure gold.
"Living life out loud and being a free-spirit were key elements of Ashley’s core... "Although Ashleys death leaves us with a huge, permanent hole in our lives, the abundance of love and light her life provided us will be forever held in our hearts."
Those who knew her penned tributes on social media.
"You made all of Safeway glow with your smile," a former coworker wrote. "You were always very loved by other Co workers, Mangers and all of our Customers. I will never forget the time when I helped bagged some of our customers groceries  and you always have this beautiful spark for customers and a lot of people at work."
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