Earnest Lavoy. Ladd (1925 - 2011)

Earnest L. Ladd


October 22, 1925 - September 30, 2011

Location: Eagle Funeral Home in Hudson
Visitation: Sunday, October 2, 2011, from 3-8 p.m.
Service: Monday, October 3, 2011, at 11:00 a.m. at the Prattville Community Church
Cemetery: Tedrow Cemetery near Wauseon, Ohio
Contributions: Gideon’s Bibles or the Prattville Community Church

Earnest Lavoy Ladd, 85, of Waldron, passed away Friday, September 30, 2011, at the McGuire Skilled Nursing Facility in Hillsdale. He was born October 22, 1925 and raised in Toledo, Ohio until age 11. He moved with his parents, Earnest and Ida (Clark) Ladd Sr., and his brothers and sisters to rural Lenawee County and helped carve a life there, hunting, catching and growing most of their food. He finished school after the 8thgrade to help farm full time. He learned many life lessons from these years that he passed on to his children and grandchildren. After returning from his service in the U.S. Army during WWII, he met and married his hearts love, Elizabeth Wiederkehr. They moved to their own farm and started their family of three boys, Steve, Mark and John. Sadly, John passed away at age 2.

Ernie worked at Fayette Manufacturing, Morenci Rubber, farmed and raised Collies and later Limousin beef cattle. Their home was always open to friends and family and their swimming pool was always full of fun times and laughter. He was “Grandpa” to many, giving all he met a smile, a listening ear and usually a joke of some sort.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Elizabeth (Wiederkehr) Ladd of Waldron; sons, Stephen (Dixie) Ladd of Waldron and Mark (Janet) Ladd of Camden; grandchildren, Matthew (Tina) Ladd of Manitau Beach, Joseph (Erin) Ladd of Waldron, Amanda (Donald) Achenbach of Newcastle, Wyoming and Nicholas (Shari) Ladd of Hudson; 12 great-grandchildren; sister, Helen Bennett of Adrian; and brothers, Richard Ladd of Tennessee and Daniel Ladd of Edmore, Michigan, all of who rejoice in knowing they will meet up with him one day in his new home in heaven.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a son John Ladd, and his grandson, Michael Ladd.
Funeral services for Ernie Ladd will be Monday, October 3, 2011, at 11:00 a.m., at the Prattville Community Church with Rev. Martin Bacalia officiating. Interment will follow at the Tedrow Cemetery in Fulton Co., Ohio. The family will receive friends for visitation Sunday from 3-8 p.m., at the Eagle Funeral Home in Hudson.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Gideon’s Bibles or the Prattville Community Church.

Earnest Ladd is my 3rd cousin through the Lee - Borton - Clark - Ladd family connection of which I have posted before.

Connection from our common 2nd Great-Grandfather is:

Josiah Lee>Mary Ann Lee>Ella Mae Borton>Ida Jane Clark>Earnest Ladd

Josiah Lee>Martha Jane Lee> Sarah Elizabeth Grey> Rex Newcomer>Bill Newcomer

The Lee - Borton - Clark - Ladd Connection

My paternal Great-grandmother, Martha Jane Lee was born in 1860, and married Francis (Frank) Gray on Feb. 4,1875. Her only surviving child was my Grandmother, Sarah (Sadie) Elizabeth (Gray) Newcomer. Martha had just turned 26 years old when she died on Feb. 12, 1886. Little Sadie Gray was only 4 1/2 years old when her mother died. Her father remarried, and she was raised by her step-mother.

Martha (Lee) Gray had an older sister Mary Ann Lee (1844 - 1923) who waa married to Silas Borton. Mary and Silas had a daughter, Ella May Borton (1870 - 1943), who married Edwin Elmer Clark.

It was through Edwin and Ella's daughter Ida Jane Clark (1897 - ????) the connection was made to the Ladd family. Ida Clark married Ernest Efflin Ladd.

Ernest and Ida's son, Ernest Lavoy Ladd married Elizabeth Wiederkher. This is the Ladd family that lives near Waldron, Michigan on the Meridian Rd. (US-127). If I have this figured out correctly, Ernest Lavoy Ladd is my third cousin.

I know Ernest and Elizabeth's sons, Stephen and Mark, through our time together at the Waldron High School. I had been told we had some "shirt-tail" cousin relationship, and it was a desire to pin down that relationship that led to this posting. If you are keeping score, I and my siblings are related to Stephan and Mark as 3rd cousins, once removed.