Eve Mortimer Ledyard

Eve Mortimer Ledyard, a breeder of thoroughbred race horses and long time resident of West Grove, Pennsylvania, died on October 1, 2007, at the age of 89. Born in 1918 in New York City, to the late Stanley G. and Katharine T. Mortimer, Mrs. Ledyard was raised in Tuxedo Park, New York and was renowned as one of the most beautiful debutantes of 1936. In 1937, she married Clarence C. Pell, Jr., of Old Westbury, New York, with whom she had two children. She subsequently married Lewis C. Ledyard III of Syosset, New York, with whom she had four children. During World War II, Mr. and Mrs. Ledyard resided in Canada, where Mrs. Ledyard drove an ambulance for the war effort, and Mr. Ledyard flew for the Royal Canadian Air Force. At the conclusion of the war, Mr. and Mrs. Ledyard moved to Whitehackle Farm in Huntington, Long Island, New York; however, the rapid development of the Long Island countryside caused them to relocate their family to a farm in West Grove, Pennsylvania in 1953 to pursue their love of horses and life on the farm. Mrs. Ledyard and her husband bred thoroughbred race horses from the 1950s until Mr. Ledyard�s death in 1990. After Mr. Ledyard�s death, Mrs. Ledyard continued the breeding business on her own until her health failed. Stakes winners bred by Mrs. Ledyard include Party Airs, Nobo Jack, Wonders Delight, Green Highlander, Ice In Space and Church Lyric. Having competed on horses from an early age, Mrs. Ledyard was a well respected rider, and from the 1950�s through the 1980�s, she could often be found mounted on a retired racehorse, pursuing her love of fox hunting with three generations of her family at meetings of Mr. Stewart�s Cheshire Foxhounds. Mrs. Ledyard cherished her friends, her horses and dogs, gardening and country life. A former Vogue model, she was known as a stylish hostess and a witty observer of the human condition. Mrs. Ledyard is survived by two of her brothers, Richard Mortimer and John Jay Mortimer, each of New York City, two daughters, Eve Pell of Greenbrae, California and Wendy Powell of West Grove, Pennsylvania; a stepdaughter, Evelyn L. Cochran of Butler, Maryland, and three of her sons, Lewis Cass Ledyard IV of Flagler Beach, Florida; Michael Mortimer Ledyard of West Grove, Pennsylvania; and John Livingston Ledyard of Whitefish, Montana, as well as 18 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Her son Clarence C. Pell III died in 1966. Arrangements by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home, Kennett Square, PA. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecofuneralhomes.com