It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our longtime founding Board Chair, mentor, and dear friend, John Ledbetter.
John was there from the very beginning of the Lodi Community Foundation. When his close friend Darrell Drummond founded LCF in 2005, John believed in the vision and dedicated himself to helping build an organization that would serve the people of Lodi for generations to come.
As LCF entered a new chapter as an independent nonprofit in 2016, John became its inaugural Board Chair, helping guide the Foundation with steady leadership, wisdom, humility, and an unwavering belief in the power of local philanthropy. Under his stewardship, LCF grew from a small, volunteer led organization into the community foundation it is today, entrusted with more than $30 million in charitable assets dedicated to supporting our community forever.
John often said he gave back because the community had given so much to him. That spirit defined the way he lived. Whether serving LCF, mentoring others, supporting local nonprofits, or simply caring for the people around him, John quietly made Lodi a better place.
More than anything, John was a devoted husband to Edyth, a proud father and grandfather, a respected business owner, and one of the finest people many of us have ever had the privilege of knowing.
His legacy will continue to live on through the countless lives he touched, the organizations he strengthened, and the Foundation he helped build. We are forever grateful for John’s leadership, friendship, and belief in what this community can accomplish together.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Edyth, the Ledbetter family, and all who knew and loved him.
You can read more about John’s remarkable life in the Lodi News-Sentinel here.