LEDFORD, Thomas G., 74, of Lynchburg, Va., died on May 12, 2022. He was an incredible man, a dear friend, a valued colleague and is beloved by his family. He is survived by his wife, Mollie Gardner Ledford of Lynchburg, Va.; his daughters, Veronica Ledford and Leigh Ledford and her husband, Scott Hawkins, of Richmond, Va.; sister, Susan L. Galati of Wilmington, N.C.; brother, Paul Ledford and wife, Lindsay, of Baton Rouge, La.; nieces, Alanna Galati and Diana Galati of Washington, D.C., Logan Ledford and her husband, Zack Widdoss, of New Orleans, La., Jane Ledford of Denver, Colo.; nephew, Stephen Ledford of Fort Collins, Colo.; stepchildren, Brice Mayhew, Alison and husband, Daniel Tuck, of Lynchburg, Va.; and granddaughter, Violet Tuck. Jana Trench Howard, of Tucson, Ariz., his first wife and mother of his children, also mourn his passing. Tom's family was his first priority. Tom loved history because of its ability to tell a story and inform the future. He spent his youth in New Orleans, La., absorbing the importance of cultures, relationships and the human connection. After receiving his master's degree from the University of Arizona in 1973, Tom worked as the Associate Curator of Exhibits at the Arizona State Museum in Tucson. The following year, he moved to Florida to serve as the Restoration Curator for the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. From 1976 to 2004, Tom was the Founding Director of the Lynchburg Museum System. During his tenure, Tom supervised the original restoration of the Old Court House and Point of Honor and opened them as public history museums. He was involved with the Lynchburg Tourism Board, Kemper Street Station Redevelopment, the Save Outdoor Sculpture program, the Legacy Museum, Amazement Square, Old City Cemetery and the Anne Spencer Foundation. Tom also served on the council of the Virginia Association of Museums and was President of VAM from 1986 to 1988. In 2012, he received the Southeastern Museum Conference James Short Award for distinguished service to others over his long professional career. Tom was a member of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society, The Sphex Club and Oakwood Country Club. Tom's joys were visiting Maine with Mollie, reading, collecting and building model trains and telling you about his latest and greatest meal. Tom had a brilliant mind and could talk about almost anything. Hot topics included, but were not limited to, boats, trains, planes, baseball and military history. Tom truly led a life of service and as an organ donor, his death has provided gifts to several other people. A Celebration of Life will be held on the lawn of Point of Honor on June 26, 2022 at 1 p.m. A reception will follow at Oakwood Country Club. In lieu of flowers or food, donations in Tom's memory can be made to the Point of Honor Capital Campaign (901 Court St., Lynchburg, Va. 24504), The Lynchburg Humane Society (1211 Old Graves Mill Rd., Lynchburg, Va. 24502) or The Gift of Life Family House (401 Callowhill St,. Philadelphia, Pa. 19123). Tharp Funeral Home is assisting the family.

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Published by Richmond Times-Dispatch on May 20, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Thomas Ledford

Sponsored by Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory - Lynchburg.

7 Entries

Fred Kidd

August 8, 2024

Thank you Mr. Ledford for showing me how cool trains are.

Ed & Michelle Burnett

June 26, 2022

Sincere condolences to the family upon the passing of our dear friend Tom. Someone once said that "a gentleman is one who leaves the world a better place than he found it", Tom was certainly a gentleman. Always a true friend who helped those who needed help. We'll sorely miss our train shows and ballgames together. God bless and comfort the family as they grieve their loss and fondly remember Tom.

Sandy Werthmann

Sent Flowers

Matt Hillman

May 24, 2022

I would like to share my condolences to Tom's Family. I only knew Tom for a couple of years back when I was 15 - 17 years old. Tom was instrumental to me, he helped me get my first job. I worked on the archaeology of Point of honor all summer long and learned a great deal on the subject. Tom let me volunteer at the museum and helped me with sorting out the old photograph collection and how to date them. I will always have great memories of him and the Lynchburg Museum System. Thank You Tom!

John B. Arnold, MD

May 21, 2022

Having known Tom since he came to Lynchburg I say he was a truly dedicated museum leader and a fine person. He will be missed.

Suzanne Thompson Saunders

May 20, 2022

May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.

John and edie Tanner

May 20, 2022

Tom was truly an incredible person. He was a devoted friend. He deeply cared about other people. Tom would call just to talk about what was going on in his life and was always inquiring about what was going on in the other person's life and their family. He was versed in many, many topics and could carry on conversations for quite awhile. Tom had an infectious laugh and used it often.
As a memberof the Blue Ridge Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society he was the voice of reason. On many outings, he enhanced the trip with stories and historical lessons. He was such a pleasure to be around.
We loved visiting Maine as he and Mollie did. On several occasions, they opened their house to us as we traveled to Maine. We always had such fun visiting with them. Tom and Mollie were such generous people.
He will truly be missed. He was a great friend.
We send our deepest condolences to his family. We know that God will wrap you in his loving and healing arms. We hope that the many treasured memories will help you through this difficult time and bring you peace.

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