David E Ledman

David Edward (Dave) Ledman, 62, peacefully left us on December 19, 2024, following a courageous bout with cancer.
Dave was born in Washington Court House, Ohio on May 14, 1962 to Dale and Patricia (Cutshaw) Ledman. From an early age, he marched to the beat of his own quirky drummer. To cite one example, as a child his fear of needles led him to insist on getting dental work without Novocain. He wrote for his high school paper and was on the golf and chess teams and a television show called "Its Academic" (his younger sister Sue thought he was famous!). He graduated from Greenhills High School in 1980 at the top of his class, followed by an undergraduate degree in Economics from Miami University in 1984 and a law degree from The Ohio State University Law School in 1987, near the top of his class.
After law school Dave accepted a position at a large law firm in Cleveland, where he cut his teeth as a Big Law litigator before his tendency towards independence and self-reliance led him to start and build a highly successful solo practice that occupied the rest of his life. He handled a wide variety of cases, while simultaneously taking on a diverse array of transactional work for countless clients. Dave appeared in every county courthouse in Ohio (which interestingly gave him the opportunity to visit the gravesites of some of his ancestors as part of his research into his family's genealogy) and was actively involved in his local community as well, including membership in Painesville Gyro.
While Dave was an intellectual force and a brilliant, well-respected lawyer, with a strong sense of justice and affinity for the underdog, to his friends, colleagues, family and wife Aly, Dave was much more than that. He was a character, and a beautiful soul, unlike anyone any of us has ever known.
One's first impression of Dave might be that he was something of an introvert but one soon realized that Dave's quiet reserve belied a highly inquisitive mind and one of the dryest and most irreverent senses of humor you would ever see, and his quick wit led to constant laughs with his friends. His jokes often came wrapped in a perfect deadpan delivery that left you wondering if he had missed his calling as a comedian-Bob Newhart and Steven Wright had nothing on Dave Ledman.
The quiet reserve also hid a competitive side that served Dave well in his chosen profession, where clients depended on his tireless work ethic and razor-sharp analysis for results that made a real difference to their businesses and their lives. For his efforts they were eternally grateful and did for him what they could, which usually meant paying their bill, though he once settled for an enormous supply of fine cigars that he enjoyed immensely. Outside the courtroom he was an avid competitor in all manner of sports and activities throughout his life, including, at various points in time, basketball, chess, poker, pool, darts, foosball, and of course golf, perhaps his most beloved sport of all, where one of his proudest moments came when, following a miraculous par save on the 16th hole, he shot an even par 72, with a tongue in cheek exclamation of "I am invincible", reminiscent of the storm scene in Caddyshack. Later on, his regular Saturday golf game at Quail Hollow Country Club became a long-time source of enjoyment.
Dave loved all types of music, from jazz to heavy metal, but especially classic hard rock. In college he was an original member of an iconic air band called "Lude Zeppelin"-naturally, given his laid back nature, air bass guitar was his instrument-that won a campus tournament, and continued to tour thereafter. Ok, so maybe the post-college "tour" consisted of two weddings (his own and that of one of his fraternity brothers), but hey who's counting.
In 1991, Dave met the love of his life, Aly, a livewire in her own right, making her a perfect match for Dave. They married in 1992 and together embarked on a quest to live life to the fullest. While hard work paid the bills and led to professional fulfillment and accolades, golf, fine wine, good bourbon and great food, dogs (first basset hounds and later show quality poodles), movies, sports fandom (Buckeyes, Browns, Cavs, Guardians and wait for it Liverpool soccer) and lots of laughter were mainstays to a very well lived life.
Throughout his life, Dave was a leader, the Big Toe to his lifelong college friends (to borrow a quote from a favorite movie of that era) and to whom he was fiercely loyal. He was the President of his college fraternity, Kappa Sigma, with which he stayed involved all his life., and after law school. In 1992 he organized what has become an annual, highly anticipated golf trip to Salt Fork State Park, a beautiful locale that also included a ridiculously difficult but charismatic golf course and a phrase-to "get forked" when you are invariably ambushed by one of its many pitfalls -that has become a badge of honor among participants.
In the end, he led by example, with a departure from this world that was marked by courage, dignity and grace, with Aly by his side.
Dave is survived by his beloved wife Aly and their loyal poodle Eve, as well as his mother Patricia, his adored and adoring younger sister Susan (Randall) Schalk, nephews Ben Schalk and Noah (Katelyn) Schalk and great nephew Jackson Schalk, all of whom he loved and cared for deeply, and he leaves behind countless friends and colleagues for whom he was, and will always be, a true inspiration for how precious and joyful life can be. He will be greatly missed.
A celebration of Dave's life will be held on a date and time to be determined.
Arrangements are entrusted to McMahon-Coyne-Vitantonio Funeral Homes in Willoughby and Mentor.
To leave condolences for the family or to order flowers, visit www.MCVfuneralhomes.com.