Benjamin Willard Redditt

Born 8/24/1923 in Conway FL.

Passed 2/13/2022 in Rockledge FL.

He was a multi generational pioneer

cattleman but most well known as Central Florida’s “best butcher” at Redditt Custom Meats.

Willard passed peacefully after a

short period at Rockledge Hospice Care.

Willard is preceded by parents James (Jim)

and Estelle Redditt. Brothers Ervin Redditt,

Cecil Redditt. Wife Beulah Redditt and son

Steve Redditt.

Willard is survived by 6 children and spouses - Joy and Phil Younavjak,

wade and Mindi Redditt, Willa and Jim Wood, Flora and Dale Wood,

Philip and Lauri Redditt, Kenley and Paula Redditt. Also, many

grandchildren including greats and great greats.

Benjamin Willard Redditt was born in 1923 in the Conway area of Orlando but his legacy of a true Florida Cracker began in 1857 when his great, great grandfather John Benjamin Redditt moved his family from South Carolina by boat down the St. Johns River to the area of Lagrange north of Titusville. This set in motion generations of east central Florida pioneers who settled and worked mostly by means of range cattle and any other farming or means of survival. Over time these pioneers lived in the areas of Christmas, Lake Nona, Kissimmee, Conway and Union Park. The Redditts, Partins, Simmons, Canadas and Tuckers are just a few of the family names that are intertwined through marriages in several generations of Central Florida

John Benjamin Redditt’s son known as “Reb” returned to Florida from the civil war with the Partin brothers and while stopping at their homestead outside of Jacksonville, he met and married Millie Partin and then returned home. He settled in the areas of Lake Nona and Conway close to what is now Orlando International Airport.

“Reb” Redditt’s son Ben, somewhere around 1911 bought the Hatch estate on Taylor Creek Road in Christmas which had an established orange grove along with many other farm crops including rice, and plenty of room for cattle. Ben became well known in the area as county commissioner but may have been performing duties as an assistant to the down town Orlando commissioner. From what we understand, he was instrumental in getting the first paving of Cheney Highway from Union Park to Christmas.

Ben Redditt’s son Jim married Estelle Simmons and lived in Conway when Willard was born. Willard grew up there and attended Conway Junior High where he was involved in 4-H livestock and garden projects. By the time he was in Orlando High School, Willard had been working as a cow hand and felt he was pretty good on a horse so he planned to sign up for rodeo bronc riding but missed the deadline that year.

Some time after that, another pioneer family originally from Christmas moved in next door. The Tucker family had also settled in Christmas about 1860 and this descendent, Will Tucker, earlier had moved his family east and homesteaded a tract of beach property very close to the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. They had a bumper harvest of honey that year and wanted to market it to the Orlando area so moving their younger kids to Conway seemed to be a good way to accomplish that. As a side note, the earlier Tucker ancestors had actually homesteaded about 600 acres of that same Taylor Creek Rd area so the families knew each other well. Of course being next door now in Conway, it didn’t take long for Willard to take closer notice of their daughter and in 1943, he married Beulah Jean Tucker.

Willard always had a natural interest in cattle so by the late 30's to 1945 he worked his dads cattle along with some other ranches which included some work with the tick eradication program. After starting a new family in Conway, it was during this time while working for Sun Grove Ranch near Narcoosee, that there became a need for him to work in their cold storage locker plant in down town Orlando butchering and processing meat. He still continued some cattle work and in the late forties to early fifties helped in meat preparation for the development of the screw worm eradication program in Bithlo and Sebring.

While working at the locker plant, people would ask him to butcher their cattle or hog and process it for storage. Of course back then, very few people had home freezers. This started a customer base so in 1960, Willard sold his cattle to finance his own business in the butchering service.

Well before this time, Willard and his dad, Jim, had moved from Conway to Union Park on South Dean Road. Jim’s dad, Ben, had bought about 1,200 acres of isolated scrub property in the area just north of what is now the power plant which can be seen for miles around. With the same pioneer spirit, Jim wanted to move out there which included about five miles of traveling through the woods on the old winding Curry Ford trail. Estelle on the other hand wanted to be back in Conway with family and conveniences so Dean Road became a compromise for them. This scrub property became known as the Redditt Ranch along with several thousand more acres leased for cattle grazing and hunting.

In 1968 Willard started building his own meat processing building on his property and next to his dad's on South Dean Road. He moved in the new facility in 1969 which became Redditt Custom Meats but still continued using the old Turner & Gee butcher house on north Dean Road. In the early days of the business, he usually went to the farm or home and butchered the animal there under a tree or barn, then taking the carcass in to be processed. One time he had to butcher a cow at a place that joined Interstate-4 about where the Orange County Jail is now. There was not a tree or barn to hang from so out of desperation he used the large I-4 billboard that was on the property. Later he came up with the arrangement with Turner & Gee to work a day butchering for them and in return could use their inspected facility to do his custom butchering. He continued using this facility until he was finally able to construct his own slaughter facility adjoining the processing plant in 1976.

Willard and Beulah’s large family of four boys and three girls allowed for plenty of opportunity for the siblings to be involved with the business. By the early 70’s the younger boys were very active in FFA and 4-H so Willard was always eager for the business to be supportive in these school programs. He also worked with doctors and hospitals to supply body parts for education and research.

Willard sold the business and property in 2001 after spending over 50 years with Redditt Custom Meats. He really did not want to move from the old log house he mostly built with his own two hands so the new owners have allowed him to stay there and also to continue to process meat on a smaller scale for some of his old loyal customers.

He has been a member of Orange County Cattlemen's Association for many years, and in 1988 was an Honorary Director for the State Association.

Willard was a founding member, and still has been an active member of the Union Park Baptist Church since it began in 1954 and his faith in Jesus Christ was his source of strength.