Merle Stanley Ledbetter Sr.

Marcell was born on April 17, 1952 in Davenport, Iowa. His family moved several times in his younger years and he attended high school in Newton, Kansas. In November 1969 he joined the army to be close to his older brother, Chuck. His first duty station was Fort Jackson, South Carolina where he served as a medical technician. He went on to explore the world as an MP and dog handler at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, then as a generator operator at Ansbach Air Base in Germany, where he finally caught up with his big brother and met two of his lifelong friends, Petar and Janet Maric.

In December of 1972 Marcell was honorably discharged from the Army and called home to Hamlin, Texas to meet a special girl who happened to be the niece of the pastor of the Nazarene church his family attended. He met that special girl, Joy Stewart, at church on a Sunday morning in April of 1973. They married five months later in that same church in a ceremony performed by her Uncle. They lived in Texas, where they had their four children, Stan, April, Janet and Josh, until 1989 when they moved to Kansas but Texas has always been home in his heart.

Marcell and Joy spent the rest of their years together in Kansas City. By the hands of God and his amazing medical teams, Marcell overcame several significant medical hurdles. He was a fighter and had a positive attitude through it all. We all know that he never met a stranger and he enjoyed nothing more than trying to make people laugh. He was a devout Christian, a loving father, loyal friend and a true patriot. He loved to fish, tell stories, barbecue, watch Survivor and Battlebots with his favorite people, attend grandkids’ sporting events and "get his grandkids’ goozle" then listen to them giggle. He was also an avid coin, knife, hat and bottle collector. He loved and cherished his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He considered his time with them precious and treasured every moment with them. The number one person in his life was his wife, Sharon (Joy) Ledbetter, who he was lucky and blessed to spend 49 years with. He would say that she was the Joy of his life and his number one girl. It’s a love that will endure.

He was preceded in death by three of his beloved brothers and his beloved great grandson. He is survived by his wife, Sharon (Joy) Ledbetter, his children Merle Stanley (Stan) (Carrie) Ledbetter, Jr., April (Jeff) Wood, Janet (Shawn) Taylor and Joshua Ledbetter, his six grandchildren, Garrett (Jeff) Kusmierz, Hunter Wood, Aaron Radke, Wyatt Wood, Hailey (Daniel) Winslow, Tristen Taylor, Connor Ledbetter and Quincy Wood and his four great grandchildren, Loretta Radke, Jasper Winslow, Waylon Radke and Decklen Kusmierz.

There will be a graveside honor ceremony on November 18 at 9:00 am at Leavenworth National Cemetery, 150 Muncie Road, Leavenworth, KS 66048 with a Celebration of Life service immediately following at 11:30 am at Life Spring Church, 206 N. Webster Street, Spring Hill, KS 66083.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Life Spring Church in Spring Hill, KS via their online link at lifespringhill.org or Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care in Olathe, KS via their online link at crhcf.org.