Bruce Ledbetter

Early Thursday morning, April 28, 2005, Bruce Ledbetter a long time resident of Brenham passed away peacefully at the Bluebonnet Nursing Home, after a long and blessed life with his family and friends. Bruce was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather that began his life, on October 22, 1910, in Palacios, Texas. His parents were Robert Randall and Eva Regina LaCompe Ledbetter. The early years were spent in Palacios and later in Alvin, Texas. In 1929 he met Emma Jean Miller of Lissie, Texas and were married July 28, 1929 in El Campo, Texas. They moved to Brenham in early 1930 and made this their home for the next seventy-five years. Bruce and Emma Jean made many friends during that time in Brenham and cherished each and everyone. Bruce became an independent paint contractor and continued that success for the next fifty years. Along the way, he managed to work in time for many different hobbies and pleasures, such as dancing, fishing, boating, calf roping, trail riding, bee keeping, woodworking and enjoying coffee with his coffee buddies at least twice a day. He rode on many of the early Salt Grass Trail Rides as a member of the Brenham wagon. Part of his woodworking hobby was building small animal caskets, which were featured on Texas Country by reporter Bob Phillips. In the later years he and his wife made numerous trips throughout the U.S. and Europe. Bruce and Emma Jean were one of the first families to join the Grace Lutheran Church when it was still a Missouri Synod mission church, and over the next sixty years worked on most all of the building committees and gave much of his time to help support the church and its school as they grew. He was also a member of the church Men s Club, Sons of Hermann and TPA. He was preceded in death by wife Emma Jean Ledbetter in 1998, mother and father Eva and Robert Ledbetter, mother and father in law Helen and E.A. Miller, four sisters and two brothers. He is survived by his Daughter Lavonne Woods and husband John D. of Brenham, Son Raymond R.B. Ledbetter and wife Elisa of Kenney, Grandaughters Cindy Woods of Columbia, S.C., Shelley Meister of New Braunfels, TX, Regina Ledbetter Yockey and husband Glenn of Ft. Worth, Grandson Raymond Bruce Ledbetter, Jr. and wife Kim of Kenney, TX, five Great Grand Children, Welcome and Whitney Meister of New Braunfels, TX, Logan and Alexis Ledbetter, Randall Ledbetter of Kenney, TX and Faith Marie Yockey of Ft Worth, TX, four Sisters Margie Carrico and husband Jimmy, Ruby Greenroad, Zelma Moniger, Brother Clarence Ledbetter and wife Dee, Brother in law Larry Hamaker, Sister-in-law Elsie Tubbs, many nieces and nephews and also the special friend Marguerite Chandler and the Ken Reichwein family which he had a cherished relationship with for many years. The funeral services will be conducted by Pastor Matthew Jacobs at Grace Lutheran Church at 1:00 P.M. Sunday May 1, 2005. Burial will follow at Prairie Lea Cemetery in Brenham. Visitation with the family will be from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Saturday April 30 at the Memorial Oaks Chapel. Pallbearers: Ken Reichwein, Robert Reichwein, Charles Dierking, Cindy Woods, Shelley Meister, Randall Ledbetter, Bruce Ledbetter and Glenn Yockey. Honarary Pallbearers: Ed Longhofer, Lonnie Tiemann, Jimmy Hahn, Elvis Jaster, Ed Mickan, Raymond Winkelmann and the many special friends that he drank coffee with over the years. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be given to Grace Lutheran Building Fund.