John Ledbetter M.D.

JOHN WINSLOW "DOC" LEDBETTER, MD

ASHEVILLE - John Winslow "Doc" LedBetter, MD, 81, of Asheville, departed this life to encounter the next March 3, 2011 after an extended illness while being cared for at Clare Bridge Memory Care Center.

John, or "Doc" (as he was lovingly referred to by many a boy scout he fostered) was born in 1929 in Portsmouth, Virginia. John's father (Dow) hailed from Mt. Gilead, North Carolina and his mother (Helen) was a New Englander from Massachusetts. John spent summers as a camp counselor at a Boy Scout camp in Winchester, Virginia. This is when John fell in love with the mountains.

John graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Va., and then went on to attend Wake Forest University and Bowman-Gray Medical School in Winston-Salem, N.C. It was in Winston-Salem that he met and married his wife Gwenda. They went on to Ann Arbor, Michigan where John studied neurology under the tutelage of Russell de Jong at the University of Michigan. This helped to satisfy his curiosity about the brain. John and Gwenda spent two years in Wichita Falls, Texas, to fulfill service to the U.S. Air Force. Then it was back to Michigan to finish up John's residency. John came to the mountains of Asheville to join two neurosurgeons Van Blaricom and McKeel in 1959 as the only neurologist. Therefore he became, so to speak, the founder of neurology in Western North Carolina. The family then consisted of Gwenda along with daughter, Becky and son, Bob and, born in 1961, daughter, Carol.

He later left the practice with Van Blaricom and McKeel to form Mountain Neurological. In his works as a physician John was known for his gentle nature, his empathetic listening skills and his art of intuitive diagnosis. Sometimes patients would come to John just to be listened to. John lived his convictions with a strong sense of fairness supported by his faith in God and a strong sense of compassion, ethics, and service. These characteristics existed in both his medical practice and his scouting.

Soon after arriving in town John joined Boy Scout Troop 8 at First Presbyterian Church as Assistant Scoutmaster. Hundreds of boys traversed through the ranks of Troop 8 with Doc leading many a back-packing trip. He probably knew every camp song ever written. Doc was dedicated to the guiding of young boys into becoming responsible men. There was a famous winter trip to Mt. Celo when Doc came home with frostbite that occurred while he tried to make a hot drink for a young shivering boy.

John served as elder for First Presbyterian Church. He had served as president of the Buncombe County Medical Society and was selected "Outstanding Physician of the Year" in 1979. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Arrow, received the Silver Beaver award, and was named a James E. West Fellow in scouting. In 2001 the dining hall, LedBetter Lodge at Camp Daniel Boone, was dedicated to Doc for his work with the scouts.

John is survived by his wife, Gwenda E. LedBetter of Asheville; daughter, Rebecca LedBetter of Fletcher, N.C.; daughter, Carol L. Holder and husband, James, of Spartanburg, S.C.; and son, Robert B. LedBetter and wife, Celia Caldwell, of Missoula, Montana. John's four grandchildren include: Kimberly M. Patterson of Columbia, S.C., Katherine W. Patterson of San Francisco, Calif., and Molly Holder and Daniel Holder, both of Spartanburg. Survivors also include sister-in-law, Jackie S. LedBetter of Newport News, Va.; and nieces, Elizabeth L. Martin of Shallotte, N.C. and family and Kathryn L. Tester of Boone, N.C. and family.

John is preceded in death by his brother, B. H. "Boots" LedBetter.

The memorial service for John will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Asheville at 11 AM on Friday March 11, 2011. The Rev. Margaret Torrence will officiate. A reception will follow in Gardner Hall. Private interment will be at Riverside Cemetery.

John believed in and supported many causes that expressed his beliefs and convictions about life.

Memorials may be made to the following:

Camp Daniel Boone (c/o Daniel Boone Council of the Boy Scouts of America)

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Alzheimer's Association

United Negro College Fund

The family would like to express heartfelt thanks to the staff at Clare Bridge Memory Care Center who offered loving care and support for John. The family is also very grateful for the companion care for John provided by Judy Lunsford for almost 5 years.

John was a loving husband, father and grandfather, a dedicated physician, nature enthusiast, hiker, storyteller, sailor, and a spiritual man who lived life with intention, inspiration and insight. The world is a much better place because John was here.

Condolences may be sent through the website www.morrisfamilyfuneralhome.com