Gwenda Ewell LedBetter

Gwenda Ewell LedBetter, 95, of Asheville, departed this world for the next on Thursday, July 24, 2025 while being cared for at Brooks-Howell Home. Born in 1930, in Cape Charles, Virginia, a short walk from the Chesapeake Bay, she was the only child of George and Marie Ewell. George was a truck driver for the Standard Oil company and Marie created and taught at Wee Wisdom Kindergarten. Gwenda’s lifelong love for reading and story was inspired by her first grade teacher. The family moved to Onancock, Virginia where she graduated from high school. Gwenda’s singing and performing career, which had been influenced by Shirley Temple, began to take shape resulting in invitations to perform with U.S. Navy jazz bands. She then went on to attend Queens College in Charlotte, NC, studying music and majoring in Elementary Education. After graduating, she began teaching elementary school in Winston-Salem, NC, while also performing in summer stock theater. This is where she met her future husband, John W. LedBetter who was attending Bowman-Gray Medical School. Gwenda and John were married in 1953 and embarked on the early years of marriage including moves to Michigan, Texas and back to Michigan. Gwenda continued to sing and perform on occasions in the different communities in which they lived. Daughter Becky was born in Texas and son Bob in Michigan. The family moved to Asheville in 1959 where daughter Carol was born. During the mid-sixties, Gwenda became involved in Asheville Community Theater. She held the leading role in several musical productions such as The King and I, South Pacific and the dramatic role in The Last of Mrs. Lincoln. She also served as musical director for several Tanglewood Children’s Theater productions, as well as directing youth choirs at First Presbyterian Church. In addition to raising her family and pursuing her love of the performing arts, Gwenda contributed to the community as a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, the Civic Arts Council for Urban Redevelopment and church ministry. Her civic volunteering eventually led her to telling stories to children at Pack Memorial Library which became the catalyst for her career as a Professional Storyteller. She was soon invited to share stories on WLOS-TV in a Saturday morning segment titled Tales From the Red Rocker. Early associations with Richard Chase of The Grandfather Tales and Appalachian teller Ray Hicks, along with her fascination with folk music and arts, helped to propel Gwenda on this new career path. You might hear her reciting “Gallymanders! Gallymanders! All my gold and silver is gone!” (from Grandfather Tales) Gwenda then began to travel around the country as she was hired by schools, churches and other organizations to share her storytelling talent. She was invited to tell several times at the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Gwenda’s repertoire grew as she incorporated her curious nature to learn and share stories from other cultures along with her own original stories and poetry. These original stories reveal her maturity as a writer, ultimately resulting in the production of two “one-woman” plays. Her contributions to the art of storytelling were acknowledged in the honor of receiving The Oracle and Lifetime Achievement Awards. Gwenda is survived by her daughter, Rebecca LedBetter of Mills River, NC; son, Robert LedBetter (Celia Caldwell), of Missoula, Montana; and daughter, Carol Holder (James), of Spartanburg, SC. Gwenda is also survived by her five grandchildren: Kimberly Patterson of Augusta, GA, Katherine Rise(Cole) of Daniel Island, SC, Kendra Caldwell (Jamie Soderling) of Missoula, Montana, Daniel Holder of Spartanburg, SC, Molly Hall (Tyler) of Charleston, SC, as well as two great grandchildren, Jackson May and Navy Rise. Gwenda is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. John W. LedBetter. The family would like to express heartfelt thanks to the staff of Arbor Terrace and Brooks-Howell as well as the many, many friends who offered loving support for Gwenda over the years. Gwenda had a passionate curiosity and love for the world we live in– family, friends, music, art, poetry, reading, stories, hiking, trees, birds, wildflowers, dragonflies, the ocean, and good food! She never met a stranger and made a point of asking their names and life stories! The world is a much better place because Gwenda was here. She will be greatly missed. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, September 13, at First Presbyterian Church in Asheville, NC with a reception following. The service will be streamed on-line with a link that can be found on the church website: fpcasheville.org In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of the following: The International Storytelling Center 100 Main Street Jonesborough, TN 37659 www.storytellingcenter.net Blue Ridge Audubon Society P O Box 18711 Asheville, NC 28814 Asheville Greenworks 2 Sulphur Springs Road Asheville, NC 28806 ashevillegreenworks.org BeLoved Asheville 32 Old Charlotte Hwy Asheville, NC 28803 www.belovedasheville.com

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Gwenda Ewell LedBetter

February 1, 1930 - July 24, 2025