John Paul Ledford

John Paul Ledford, 54, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away on Sunday, December 7, 2025. John was known for his quick wit, his rebellious nature, and his big heart. He was born on October 23, 1971 in Kings Mountain, North Carolina to Paul and Joy Ledford.

John grew up in Kings Mountain, often playing outside with his brother, Mike. He loved going to his grandparent’s house to see what Grandpa was building and to borrow his tools to play with. John was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Kings Mountain High School. John went on to college at North Carolina State in Raleigh, NC to study Electrical Engineering. In between studies, he went on several adventures with his friend James, you may have heard the stories.

While living in Raleigh, he met Barbara Ballard. They moved to Kansas City together and were married from April 1, 1999 until divorcing in 2010. While living outside of Lawrence, in the “Tree House”, they had two children Katrina and Garrett. They all enjoyed time with The Tribe, a group of friends and chosen family. The Tribe loved to cook together and would occasionally have theme nights, like the meal of several bacon centered dishes. John worked at the University of Kansas while working on his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.

John started working at Garmin in 2010 and has enjoyed working there for the past 15 years. He appreciated working with his group, talking between benches, and the lunch time card games (while they lasted).

John and Kelly Stuck met in 2019 and got married April 16, 2022. They have been amazing companions and good for each other. He loved to make her laugh, and it was easy for him to do. John loved to create things. He liked to be able to think of an object that would be useful or fun and then make it a reality. John and Garrett enjoyed working together in the garage, and so did John and Kelly.

John is survived by his loving wife, Kelly Ledford, children Katrina Ledford Saeb and Garrett Ledford, his parents and his brother.

A celebration of life will be held on December 30, 2025 at 3:00 pm immediately followed by a social reception until 6:00 pm. St. Andrew’s Golf Club 11099 W. 135th St, Overland Park, 66221. Please wear purple, blue, or green and join us to share stories.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you type up your stories about John or lists of things that made you smile. You can email them to johnandkelly@kookypeople.com or mail them to Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, C/O the Ledford family, 14275 S. Black Bob Rd., Olathe, KS 66062.

To leave a special message for his family or to share a memory of John, please visit the guestbook below.