Amos A. Ledford

Amos Andrew Ledford, of Cleveland, departed this life Monday afternoon, Oct. 25, 2010, at a local hospital, only one day after his 80th birthday.

Born Oct. 24, 1930, in Marked Tree, Arkansas, he was the third son of the late William Arthur and Luttie Raynor Ledford. In 1949, this skinny young preacher married a lovely farm girl named Vivian Tankersley, who stood faithfully at his side for 61 years.

He was preceded in death by his beloved daughter, Sharmin Waters. Surviving him are his loving wife Vivian; his sons Joel Ledford (wife Patsy) of Richmond, VA, and Mark Randall (Randy ) Ledford of Cleveland; his daughter Darla Prater (husband Dale) of Cleveland; his grandchildren Shane Waters (wife Michele) of York, PA, Shae Waters (wife Sarah) of Freeport, FL, Davi Waters Idemudia (husband Emmanuel) of Benin City, Nigeria, and Victoria Ledford of Memphis, TN; and three great-grandchildren.

Having given his heart to Jesus Christ as a small boy, Amos dedicated his life to serving his Lord in the Church of God. His career as a preacher and Bible teacher took him from his humble beginnings in Arkansas and Texas to every state in the U.S. before settling his family in Cleveland in 1980.

He was respected, admired, liked, and loved by almost everyone he ever met. His wry sense of humor could sometimes be mistaken for a cavalier attitude, but there was never a more caring and truly sensitive man. Amos was blessed with a remarkably astute mind and an even more amazing memory for facts, names, numbers, and especially Scriptures. Many times we listened as from the pulpit he would offer a premise, then immediately follow it, without pause and entirely from memory, with no less than fifteen or twenty supporting verses from all throughout the Bible.

We, his loving and devoted family, rejoice in our sure knowledge that Amos is finally home. He no longer suffers from the pains and struggles of this world, either physical or spiritual, but is now free and able to dance joyfully in the presence of our Lord, no doubt joined step-for-step by his daughter Sharmin, alongside his parents and a host of friends and loved ones who have gone before him. Hallelujah!

Funeral services will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at North Cleveland Church of God Chapel with Pastor Mitch Maloney, Rev. Travis Porter and Rev. Don Stovall officiating. The body will lie in state at the church one hour prior to the funeral service. Interment will be held privately. Larry Owens, Steve Hyde, Rick Hyde, Ed Brown, Duane Lambert, and Harry Sessoms will serve as pallbearers.

The family will receive friends Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at Grissom Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Emmas Kids c/o Church of God World Missions, P. O. Box 8016, Cleveland, TN 37320-8016.

To send an online condolence to the family, visit www.grissomfh.net.