Alexander McDougal Ledbetter (5-8-22)

Alexander McDougal Ledbetter, 91, of Waynesboro, Virginia, passed away on Sunday, May 8. He was born on Sept. 12, 1930, and is the son of the late James L. and Agnes McDougal Ledbetter. Alex was the last surviving of his eight siblings.

He was born in Savannah and the city remained the jewel of his heart and source of many fond memories of family and fishing on the Tennessee river with friends.

He was a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956. Alex held many jobs and had several great adventures in is youth including periods of working at the Houston shipyards on an oyster dredge, piloting a pleasure boat from Baltimore, Maryland to Savannah, Tennessee via the waterways and working as a tile setter in Memphis.

In February1963, Alex decided to settle down and he married his longtime sweetheart Mary Ruth Hargrove Ledbetter. They were never apart until her death on Feb. 5, of this year.

He graduated from East Tennessee State University and Southern Law University in 1967. In 1968 he started working with Aetna Life and Casualty Insurance Company as a claims adjuster. His career with Aetna took his family from Richmond, Virginia, to Bristol, Tennessee, then to Las Vegas, Nevada, and finally to Waynesboro, Virginia, where they continued to live in retirement.

Alex was a member and Past Master of Lee Lodge No. 209 AF&AM in Waynesboro, Virginia, and was proud to be a Free Mason for 52 years.

He taught his sons Bill and David the finer points of mechanics, puttering, gardening, fishing and a love for reading. He valued a newspaper with a hot cup of coffee, a heated discussion, a find at the landfill, time on the water, a grocery store bargain, a pocket full of Kleenex and a well told story.

He is survived by his son Bill and his wife Wendy, his son David Lee and numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank or a charitable organization of your choosing.