Leslie "Les" LaVerne Ludlam, age 83, passed away in his home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on March 17, 2024. He was born June 22, 1940, in Greenwood County, Kansas to James LaVerne Ludlam and Helen Patricia Kays Ludlam. They moved to Grand Junction, Colorado when Les was six. Les's school days were spent in Grand Junction and Fruitvale, with graduation from Central High School in 1958. Les married Betty Hoback on March 26, 1961. They made a home in Golden, Colorado while Les finished his degree in Petroleum Engineering at Colorado School of Mines.

After graduation from Mines, Les and Betty moved to California where Les worked for Richfield Oil, later known as ARCO. He earned his Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine in Pasadena, CA. For thirty years, work with ARCO took Les to California, Colorado, back to California, and finally to Alaska, Les retired from ARCO in 1992. A memorable time during his career was being appointed Crisis Manager of the response group after the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

During his later years in the oil business, Les began to follow a call to ministry. He received a local pastor's license from Claremont School of Theology. He began working part-time for the Alaska Missionary Conference where he started a new fellowship congregation in Palmer, Alaska. In 1992 Les and Betty returned to Colorado where Les attended Iliff School of Theology in Denver, beginning in 1993, and received his Master of Divinity degree in 1995. He went on to receive his elder's orders in 1998 and was appointed as an Associate Pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. From 1997 to 2004 he served as Pastor in Wheatland, Wyoming, and then from 2004 to 2006 was a part-time pastor at Thornton United Methodist Church. Les touched numerous lives with the message of God's grace, mercy and love. One special job perk was getting to baptize three of his grandchildren.

Les will be remembered for enjoying long drives, reading stories aloud with all the dramatic voices, and writing down his family history in a book titled A Fairly Interesting Life, his charming smile, and his love of all types of desserts. He also enjoyed reading, writing, Sunday School classes, and the men's coffee and breakfast groups. Les lived his life by a saying from his grandmother Lillian, "We are what we are and God calls us to take life as it comes and make it a blessing for others."

He is survived by his wife, Betty, their son Jim Ludlam, daughter-in-law Jennifer, daughter Cindy, son-in-law Sean West, and six grandchildren: Audrey, Sophia, and Jackson Ludlam, Joey Gallo, Megan, and Andrew West. He is also survived by his siblings, Jerry Ludlam and his wife Beverly, and Kathy Herring and her husband Ed, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

A celebration of life will take place at St. Luke's United Methodist Church on April 20, 2024, at 2:00 pm with a dessert reception following. In place of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Les's memory. The address is 8817 South Broadway, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129.