This world lost a great man when it lost John Ledbetter. I have been out of state and did not  know he had passed....but found this obituary when searching for his son.  Peace be with you John. 

A shock went through us when we learned yesterday that our close friend passed away.  We shared many years as well as a lifetime of memories with John & Barbara in business and pleasure.  John will truly be missed.  So sorry to the family that we didn't know so we could be with them to say our goodbyes.  RIP John 

John's Service (Part 2)
A message from John's Family (continued):
No matter how you remember John, it is without a doubt we all agree, he was a good man who was admired and well respected by everyone who knew him.  He was a man of integrity, with a keen sense of fairness, who cared deeply for his family and friends.
We are thankful for everyone who joined to share in our memories, as we say farewell.
Farewell my sweet husband, may you be at peace, and God bless you.
Farewell to my brother John, thank you for the memories and kindness.
Farewell Dad, a piece of my heart stays with you always.
Farewell Grandpa, we're definitely having ice cream for dinner tonight!  Rest well knowing you left us a great family and strong foundation.
Farewell my Friend, we miss and love you dearly, here's to the next adventure.

Songs played in tribute:
 - I Can Only Imagine, by Mercy Me 
 - Amazing Grace, sung by Leann Rimes

John's service (Part 1)
A message written from John's family:
Today's service gives us a way of saying farewell to John by expressing or sharing thoughts, feelings, and experiences that honor and respect his life and memory.
We all have different memories of John, but if you were to collect them all together you would likely hear they have a lot in common.  Most memories would include family, something about barricades, fast cars, dominoes, family reunions, taking a trip, maybe a Suns game, and there would definitely be some ice cream. 
But one thing would be for certain in every memory, John always had a happiness about him that was contagious.  Even in looking back on old photos you would be hard pressed to find one without him smiling.
Growing up as one of 8 kids, John worked hard from an early age alongside his siblings. Perhaps that's what gave him the tenacity and persistence to become such a successful entrepreneur, leader, and business man. But no matter his successes, you probably still knew John as a teacher.  Over the recent weeks, we have heard many comments like, "I learned a lot from John" or "He taught a lot of people a lot of things".  This trait endeared him to many, and we will always remember how proud he was to become a certified electrician and educator of future electricians. 
However, in knowing John, you would know his pride extended beyond his own successes and onto those of his family.  He was a dedicated and very proud family man, Dad, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa who enjoyed sharing their accomplishments.  He made a point to always be at any and every event, and even kept a folder with all the ceremony documents from every graduation he attended.

Memories shared from John's Grandkids:
Some of our fondest memories are going to Suns games with Grandpa and getting ice cream at half time, him teaching us to play poker, and spending time at the cabin in Heber.  Grandpa was always there to cheer for us at our softball games and there for our birthdays.  And we can't remember a holiday that he wasn't there.
Grandpa always had access to ice cream.  Not just regular boring ice cream, we're talking several flavors, with all the toppings, and even variations of popsicles if you wanted.  And magically, if there wasn't any ice cream… there was always a Dairy Queen close by.
We remember how grandpa always like to tinker with something or have a new project going.  When we were little… it was ponies, pinball machines, and even that 1980's brick cell phone in grandma's Cadillac.  Then as we got older it was gardening in the backyard, crazy Christmas light displays, and being the first senior in his zip code to tell Alexa, "turn off lights".  
Memories from Courtnie:  I remember how I used to go everywhere with Grandpa when I was little and he had errands to run.  One particular and frequent errand was the car wash, and he would always buy something for me while we waited. I also remember how he taught me to tie shoes my shoes by bribing me with donuts!  Grandpa had endless patience and he also taught me to drive--but I don't think donuts were included.

Dad and Mom moved Corrie to Reno in 1983 when she got her first court reporting job.  In 1993, when Rick and Corrie were building their house, Dad wanted to do the electrical.  He had recently become a certified electrician.  It was going to be his first big job.  It was a lot of work and long hours with all of us pulling wires.  When all was said and done, Dad only missed putting in one wire.  To this day Corrie remembers her Dad every time she turns on the garbage disposal and the kitchen light blinks.

Dad was always a car enthusiast.  He loved going to Reno for Hot August Nights every year.  He always enjoyed looking at the old cars and would drive around with Rick in their '65 Chevy Truck.

If you have ever driven with Dad, you already know about his driving.  He could be looking at you and not even know brake lights are on all the cars ahead of him until he saw the look on the passenger's face and slammed on the brakes.  If you were in the passenger's seat, it was like the Flintstones pushing on the floorboard.  Rick used to have him laughing so hard about his driving, he couldn't even see the road.  Marilyn learned real quick about Dad's driving and drove him everywhere soon after that.  



MEMORIES OF DAD

Growing up in our family was always one adventure after another.
Dad was always in the traffic control business.  After awhile he started his own business and we all helped out, whether we were helping put out cones or barricades or cleaning the offices on weekends.  Later on we would even get a tank of gas for cleaning the offices.  

Most of our vacations revolved around his jobs.  On one of the out-of-town jobs, I remember Lorrie wanted to take our horses, so we took the motor home pulling the horse trailer.  The horse trailer was so heavy it put the motor home in a bind and we couldn't open the door to get out, so Johnny followed in his car and would unhook the trailer every time we stopped so we could get out.

My Dad and Mom were always involved in everything we did, whether it was Indian Guides, Indian Maidens, or Girl Scouts.  When Johnny started playing baseball, they never missed a game.  My Dad always sponsored his teams always taking the team out for pizza after the games.  Then when Corrie started playing soccer and softball, they never missed her games and Dad also sponsored her teams.

When Lorrie wanted a horse, Dad bought some land and we had horses.  Dad and Lorrie were always going to horse auctions.  Dad thought Corrie needed a horse, too, so he got her Georgia, who promptly bucked her off every chance she could.

Eventually we had a couple cows.  Dad decided he wanted to raise his own beef.  We weren't crazy about that, so we named them Brownie and Effie Mae hoping they would just be pets.  Then the time came when he sent them to the butcher.  When we were eating dinner, we asked Dad how is Brownie?  That was the end of raising beef.

We spent a lot of summers in Greer.  He would take us fishing, and when we got back he would clean the fish.  Dad always had a weak stomach.  
We would start talking about fish guts until he actually got sick and then  we had to clean them.  


Kaye knew  Marilyn from working  with her at Honeywell and she also worked  for me 
there.   We both knew John from Sunday school and Church.  After John lost his first wife he came to Sunday school and Sunday after Sunday he asked for prayers for himself.  He said he was so lonely he didn't know  how he could keep going.   Later one Sunday we saw him walk in with Marilyn and he had a sparkle in his eyes again and seemed so happy.   Kaye  said  God has blessed John with  a wonderful lady.  We were happy for him.  They were so happy together.

I was first introduced to John when he was Manager of Star Lite Barricade during the summer of 1966. My Explorer Scout adviser, Wayne Watkins, introduced me and suggested I work the summer before going on a church mission. I learned a lot that summer about traffic control from John, Glen Parker and Luis Cervantes. When I returned in the summer of 1968, John had just started his own company, Apache Barricade. As I was a full time student, he offered me a job of working nights and weekends. A great blessing for me, as I was busy with school and would be getting married a year later. John later asked me to begin working full time as his Manager. That offer changed my life forever, as I grew to love the industry and made it my lifelong career. 
John was definitely NOT all work and no play. He loved to play also. He set up a basketball hoop at the yard and also a ping pong table for employees to use during breaks, lunch and after work.
He also sponsored our company team for soft ball in the Phoenix Parks League. We were not that good, and lost more than we won, but John made sure we looked better than any of the other teams by providing "pen striped" ball uniforms. We did look good! John also loved to have fun on the road and would make sure we could stay at a motel with a swimming pool so we could cool off after a long days' work.
John also loved to share his successes with his employees. Each month that set a new record high for billing, he would organize a dinner celebration at one of the finest restaurants in the valley. As Apache was a very young and fast growing company, we had a lot of dinners out and he always included our spouses.
John was also one of the first to recognize the value of ATSSA. He enrolled himself and several of us in one of the first Traffic Control Supervisor courses. He made sure each of us was well trained and proficient in the tasks we were given.
John had a huge positive impact on countless people and will be missed.

John would usually accompany Marilyn when she came for her haircuts and EVERY time he would tell me, "we can't go anywhere without somebody complimenting her on her hair"  ☺What a gentleman who was blessed to have found love again. Blessed to have met him. Love to you Marilyn and sympathies to the family.

On behalf of Roger and his family and myself, I would like to express how blessed and honored we are that we were able to call John family. He truly was a good and kind man whose acceptance and compassion were felt by each one of us. We were fortunate enough to spend many good times together and will cherish those memories.  Our hearts are also filled with gratitude for the care and love he showed our mom during their brief time together. Their journey cannot be measured by time, but rather by an  abundance of love and adventure. All of our lives were made better by knowing John, and he will truly be missed

During the summer of 1980 our family and extended family (3 generations) went to a family reunion in Ada, Oklahoma. We drove there in 2 motor homes and 2 cars. On the return trip back to Arizona, our immediately family (8 of us) split from the group to visit Six Flags of Texas. With one of the motor homes and one of the cars we set off for Six Flags. Limited on time the family decided to take turns driving through the night. My Dad took the first shift driving. Once his shift was over he laid down in the bed at the back of the motor home. Before lying down, my Dad warned all of us, the motor home had a vibration if we drove over 55 MPH and he would know if we were speeding. In 1980 the speed limit was 55 MPH. Being teenagers, we decided it was necessary to test the vibration. I figured out once the motor home was over 65 MPH the vibration was gone and the motor home drove smoothly. 
 
Driving through Texas on the way to Six Flags, well over 65 MPH, and while my Dad was sleeping in the bed at the back of the motor home, I hit a large bump on the freeway that launched my Dad out of the bed onto the floor with a big thud. He immediately asked “How fast are you going?” And that was the end of our 65+ MPH motor home road trip. To this day we still laugh about him catching air in the motor home and landing on the floor in the middle of the night. 


Memory shared by Jennifer Hedge, ATSSA Associate Director of Member Engagement:
In Memory of John Ledbetter, Sr., a Former ATSSA Board of Directors member, with more than 50 years in the traffic control industry, John Sr., was an impactful member within the roadway safety industry, having also served as a former president of the Arizona Chapter of ATSSA and working with the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
 
He is survived by his wife and children, including John Ledbetter, Jr., who works at Southwest Barricades in Phoenix, Arizona and was also an Arizona Chapter of ATSSA president from 2013-2015 and currently serves as an elected member on the Arizona chapter's board of directors. 


Memory shared by John Sr., for Ledbetter family history book:
I belonged to a car club called the "Chaparrals" (that is a roadrunner bird).  After taking my date home at night, I would go to the mid-night drag races on Cave Creek Road and Bell Road.  That was way out in the country back in 1956-58.  One of the members of our car club lived in the area.  His father would listen in on the telephone party line for someone to be calling the police and reporting us.  He would warn us, and we would take off before the police showed up!
Through the years, I received my share of tickets and once had my license taken away for three months.  Mom would drive me to high school in "my car", a 1953 Dodge.  I remember it being pure "torture" as she would "grind the gears" shifting from 1st to 2nd.  
After turning 18, I started going to the real drag strips.  I had several cars I took to the track; a '51 Plymouth business coupe with a '57 Dodge D-500 Hemi engine that I loved to race, and my 1953 Dodge that did pretty well receiving ten trophies!  I also remember selling a blue and white '53 Dodge car to Bob and later taking it to the "Beeline drag strip" one time.  I was the one who drove it in the race, and Bob got a "trophy" for winning, but he gave it to me since I was the one who was driving the car.
While I enjoyed participating in the drag races, I didn't care to watch.  Later I switched over to watching Indy car races and became a real fan of NASCAR.

Memory shared by John Sr., for the Ledbetter family history book:
When we were young, I can remember everyone sitting down at the dining room table together for our Sunday afternoon meal.  Mom always had something special on Sundays.  I can remember Swiss steak, fried chicken, roast beef and meatloaf.  I always thought "meatloaf" was "special" and still do.  That is a meal my children would never eat.  Perhaps it skips a generation.

Memory shared by John Sr., for the Ledbetter family history book:
There are many good memories from working at Bill's service station.  I remember one of his good friends, Don Jackson, coming to Bill and asking if he could borrow his car to go to the bank.  Bill said, "Yes, but just don't put any miles on it!".  I'll never forget seeing Don drive to the bank and then come back driving all the way in reverse.  There were no added miles!
Bill taught me how to "change oil" and how to "lube cars", but I was not big enough to lift the tires off the cars to do a wheel-bearing pack.  Bill denies this, but I was told to pack the outside bearing and shove some grease back along the spindle to the back bearing and that would be good.  That proved to be embarrassing to me later in high school auto shop class when the instructor asked if anyone knew how to pack wheel bearings, and up goes my hand very excitedly that I was the only one in class who knew the answer.  When the teacher asked me to explain, everyone laughed and had a good time at my expense.  

Memory shared by John Sr., for the Ledbetter family history book:
When I was 10 years old, I worked at the service station, that my brother Bill owned, on the southeast corner of 24th Street and McDowell Road.  Mom would drive me to work and back home almost every day.  Bill paid me 20 cents per hour to pump gas, wash windshields, and check tire pressure.  When the car did not have a "running board", I would stand on a "crate" in order to reach the windshield.  On the times I walked home from work, I would stop and take a break at the Western Auto Store at 24th Street and Thomas Road.  I would "dream" of owning one of their bicycles.  I guess I impressed the owner of the store when I told him that I had a job, because he sold me a bike on credit.  I made sure to make weekly payments to him from my 20 cents per hour job.

Memory written by John Sr., for the Ledbetter family history book:
When I was about 8 years old, I remember our church (East-side Church of the Nazarene) held fundraisers to send kids to camp.  I believe Dad and Mom paid only $10.00 for me to go to camp for a week.  Mom bought me a suitcase and new clothes, and wrote my name in black ink on the inside band of them all.  When it was time to leave, all the kids met at the church and we had a caravan of cars going to Prescott.  In 1948, there was no "Black Canyon Freeway"; we drove through Wickenburg and up the winding Yarnell hill into Prescott.  I was excited when the caravan of cars stopped along the way for a break at a Dairy Queen. But while we were all there getting ice cream, someone "stole my suitcase" off the top of the car.  The counselors at the camp asked me, "Do you know what was in your suitcase?", and I said, "Yes, it was all new!". They took me into Prescott and replaced everything.  
I remember that year at camp was the first time I had used an "outhouse", and at 8 years old, I was a little uneasy with all the "Grand Daddy Long Leg Spiders" in there.  I also remember getting "lost in the woods" and being relieved when I finally found my way back to camp.  It was also very fun to swing on the rope out over the water, and then drop into the "Granite Dells" swimming hole.

With the marriage of my son Kyle and Katie Ledbetter, my late wife and I became a small part of the Ledbetter family. We surely enjoyed the few times we were able to be with John Senior and Barbara. When I moved to Las Vegas I had the privilege to be with John Senior and Marilyn a number of times. He was to me such a kind man and I surely looked forward to every time I spent with him. RIP and no that the old saying " like father like son " is surely true with John Senior and John Junior.

A memory from John's Sister Barbara:
I remember John was a very fast runner in grade school.  I watched John in competition in sports with other schools when he was in the 8th grade. In Dash, even when he got off to a slower start, he won the race.   I was very proud of my brother.  He won a trophy at his high school graduation for  being the "Outstanding Boy Athlete" John's P.E. coach,  Mr D' Audidia said, he had never seen a faster runner.  Twenty years later, my son, Rob said, he had Mr. D'Audidia for P.E. in grade school, and the coach mentioned the fastest boy runner he had ever seen, John Ledbetter,  and my son said that's my uncle.  My son Rob was very proud of John too. My brother John was a Christian, humble, and had a caring heart.  I love John, and will miss him.

A memory from John's Sisters (Shirley & Betty):
John inherited his sister’s ’59 white Fairlane Ford, when she no longer needed it, and it became one of his early drag racing cars.  How many more did he have?  Who knows?  He really loved those cars.

A memory from John's Sisters (Betty & Shirley):
This one time, they were walking across the lawn, after parking their car out front, to go into the house, when their father suddenly was walking out to go to work.  Yes, it was early morning.  No words were spoken, except “Hi.”  Their father never spoke of it after that, ever.

Memory from John's Sisters (Shirley & Betty) :
We remember when John and one of our sisters were teens, they went out to Saguaro Lake with their church friends to do some water skiing and just hang out.  They were having so much fun just talking and hanging out, that time got away from them and it was well past dark. As the story goes, they were discussing religion.  

Memory from John's Sisters (Betty & Shirley):
When we were young,  all the neighbor children had cousins visiting from other states, and we had none visiting from anywhere,  John’s older sisters had a plan.  They dressed John up in girls’ clothing and placed a scarf over his head.  They took him outside and introduced him to the neighbor children as our cousin from another place.  In fact, they chatted with him in some made up gibberish language, pretending that he was from some other place.  John was only seven years of age, and he was such a good sport and with a good-nature about being our girl  cousin visiting.  Most likely, no one believed us, but John became our special girl cousin for a few hours.


Valley View Community Food Bank   623-933-3358

UMOM New Daily Center   602-275-7852

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OBITUARY

John P. Ledbetter Sr.

June 29, 1940 – May 7, 2019

Phoenix Memorial Park & Mortuary

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