John P. Ludden was born at Holstein, NE, to Peter Leroy and Elsie May (Porter) Ludden, the son of a farmer and grandson of Luther P. Ludden, one of the first Lutheran ministers to serve in Lincoln, Nebraska. He passed away on June 5, 2015, at the age of 93 years.
John was the seventh of nine children. He graduated from a one-room schoolhouse and survived the Depression with his family. Upon graduation from Wann High School, he followed his older brother Glenn to California briefly, where he operated a Caterpillar tractor on farmland. After enrolling in the University of Nebraska with the intent of studying medicine, he left to serve in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a laboratory technician, caring for troops in the 6th General Hospital; serving with distinction in the North African and Italian Campaigns. He served until the end of the war in Italy, and was en route to the Pacific when war with Japan ended.
Following the war, John settled in Lincoln, where he continued his education, met his wife, Marcella (Smith), and married on September 1, 1947. He supported his young family and his education working for the U.S. Postal Service, for a time, riding the mail train from Omaha to Denver, sorting and delivering mail en route. A part-time job at the clinical lab at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln was followed by a full-time position at the clinical lab at Veteran's Hospital in Lincoln. In 1966 he was chosen to head the Veterans Hospital laboratory, and held that position until 1976, overseeing the transition from a test-tube based lab to modern instrumentation. In 1978 he joined Dorsey Laboratories as a laboratory chemist in the research division and continued there until retirement in 1985.
John was active in his community, closely following the workings of the Unicameral, and served on Lincoln's Commission on Aging. Among his greatest gifts to his community was his work promoting and planning for a system of bicycle trails enjoyed by cyclists throughout the city for both pleasure and daily transport. He was similarly active as a member of both Sacred Heart and North American Martyrs Catholic parishes in Lincoln. As a Christian and humanitarian he frequently stepped in on his own initiative to assist those in need of support.
He was a life-long reader with a passion for exploring ideas. While his formal education was in chemistry, he was self-educated in philosophy, theology, history and economics; teaching his children a love of the sciences, arts and humanities. He was a gifted storyteller, drawing on his experiences in World War II and the Postal Service. He and his wife, Marcella traveled extensively in the U.S.
Raised on a farm, John never lost his love of growing things, and enjoyed tending a productive garden.
John is survived by his wife, Marcella, and four children; Larry (Lisa; Paul (Linda; Mary Lynn; and Keith (Bev); five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was the last surviving member of his nine siblings.
Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at North American Martyrs Catholic Church. Interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
Obituary information from Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home website ~ June 6, 2015.
John was the seventh of nine children. He graduated from a one-room schoolhouse and survived the Depression with his family. Upon graduation from Wann High School, he followed his older brother Glenn to California briefly, where he operated a Caterpillar tractor on farmland. After enrolling in the University of Nebraska with the intent of studying medicine, he left to serve in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a laboratory technician, caring for troops in the 6th General Hospital; serving with distinction in the North African and Italian Campaigns. He served until the end of the war in Italy, and was en route to the Pacific when war with Japan ended.
Following the war, John settled in Lincoln, where he continued his education, met his wife, Marcella (Smith), and married on September 1, 1947. He supported his young family and his education working for the U.S. Postal Service, for a time, riding the mail train from Omaha to Denver, sorting and delivering mail en route. A part-time job at the clinical lab at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln was followed by a full-time position at the clinical lab at Veteran's Hospital in Lincoln. In 1966 he was chosen to head the Veterans Hospital laboratory, and held that position until 1976, overseeing the transition from a test-tube based lab to modern instrumentation. In 1978 he joined Dorsey Laboratories as a laboratory chemist in the research division and continued there until retirement in 1985.
John was active in his community, closely following the workings of the Unicameral, and served on Lincoln's Commission on Aging. Among his greatest gifts to his community was his work promoting and planning for a system of bicycle trails enjoyed by cyclists throughout the city for both pleasure and daily transport. He was similarly active as a member of both Sacred Heart and North American Martyrs Catholic parishes in Lincoln. As a Christian and humanitarian he frequently stepped in on his own initiative to assist those in need of support.
He was a life-long reader with a passion for exploring ideas. While his formal education was in chemistry, he was self-educated in philosophy, theology, history and economics; teaching his children a love of the sciences, arts and humanities. He was a gifted storyteller, drawing on his experiences in World War II and the Postal Service. He and his wife, Marcella traveled extensively in the U.S.
Raised on a farm, John never lost his love of growing things, and enjoyed tending a productive garden.
John is survived by his wife, Marcella, and four children; Larry (Lisa; Paul (Linda; Mary Lynn; and Keith (Bev); five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was the last surviving member of his nine siblings.
Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at North American Martyrs Catholic Church. Interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
Obituary information from Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home website ~ June 6, 2015.
John P. Ludden was born at Holstein, NE, to Peter Leroy and Elsie May (Porter) Ludden, the son of a farmer and grandson of Luther P. Ludden, one of the first Lutheran ministers to serve in Lincoln, Nebraska. He passed away on June 5, 2015, at the age of 93 years.
John was the seventh of nine children. He graduated from a one-room schoolhouse and survived the Depression with his family. Upon graduation from Wann High School, he followed his older brother Glenn to California briefly, where he operated a Caterpillar tractor on farmland. After enrolling in the University of Nebraska with the intent of studying medicine, he left to serve in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a laboratory technician, caring for troops in the 6th General Hospital; serving with distinction in the North African and Italian Campaigns. He served until the end of the war in Italy, and was en route to the Pacific when war with Japan ended.
Following the war, John settled in Lincoln, where he continued his education, met his wife, Marcella (Smith), and married on September 1, 1947. He supported his young family and his education working for the U.S. Postal Service, for a time, riding the mail train from Omaha to Denver, sorting and delivering mail en route. A part-time job at the clinical lab at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln was followed by a full-time position at the clinical lab at Veteran's Hospital in Lincoln. In 1966 he was chosen to head the Veterans Hospital laboratory, and held that position until 1976, overseeing the transition from a test-tube based lab to modern instrumentation. In 1978 he joined Dorsey Laboratories as a laboratory chemist in the research division and continued there until retirement in 1985.
John was active in his community, closely following the workings of the Unicameral, and served on Lincoln's Commission on Aging. Among his greatest gifts to his community was his work promoting and planning for a system of bicycle trails enjoyed by cyclists throughout the city for both pleasure and daily transport. He was similarly active as a member of both Sacred Heart and North American Martyrs Catholic parishes in Lincoln. As a Christian and humanitarian he frequently stepped in on his own initiative to assist those in need of support.
He was a life-long reader with a passion for exploring ideas. While his formal education was in chemistry, he was self-educated in philosophy, theology, history and economics; teaching his children a love of the sciences, arts and humanities. He was a gifted storyteller, drawing on his experiences in World War II and the Postal Service. He and his wife, Marcella traveled extensively in the U.S.
Raised on a farm, John never lost his love of growing things, and enjoyed tending a productive garden.
John is survived by his wife, Marcella, and four children; Larry (Lisa; Paul (Linda; Mary Lynn; and Keith (Bev); five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was the last surviving member of his nine siblings.
Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at North American Martyrs Catholic Church. Interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
Obituary information from Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home website ~ June 6, 2015.
John was the seventh of nine children. He graduated from a one-room schoolhouse and survived the Depression with his family. Upon graduation from Wann High School, he followed his older brother Glenn to California briefly, where he operated a Caterpillar tractor on farmland. After enrolling in the University of Nebraska with the intent of studying medicine, he left to serve in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a laboratory technician, caring for troops in the 6th General Hospital; serving with distinction in the North African and Italian Campaigns. He served until the end of the war in Italy, and was en route to the Pacific when war with Japan ended.
Following the war, John settled in Lincoln, where he continued his education, met his wife, Marcella (Smith), and married on September 1, 1947. He supported his young family and his education working for the U.S. Postal Service, for a time, riding the mail train from Omaha to Denver, sorting and delivering mail en route. A part-time job at the clinical lab at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln was followed by a full-time position at the clinical lab at Veteran's Hospital in Lincoln. In 1966 he was chosen to head the Veterans Hospital laboratory, and held that position until 1976, overseeing the transition from a test-tube based lab to modern instrumentation. In 1978 he joined Dorsey Laboratories as a laboratory chemist in the research division and continued there until retirement in 1985.
John was active in his community, closely following the workings of the Unicameral, and served on Lincoln's Commission on Aging. Among his greatest gifts to his community was his work promoting and planning for a system of bicycle trails enjoyed by cyclists throughout the city for both pleasure and daily transport. He was similarly active as a member of both Sacred Heart and North American Martyrs Catholic parishes in Lincoln. As a Christian and humanitarian he frequently stepped in on his own initiative to assist those in need of support.
He was a life-long reader with a passion for exploring ideas. While his formal education was in chemistry, he was self-educated in philosophy, theology, history and economics; teaching his children a love of the sciences, arts and humanities. He was a gifted storyteller, drawing on his experiences in World War II and the Postal Service. He and his wife, Marcella traveled extensively in the U.S.
Raised on a farm, John never lost his love of growing things, and enjoyed tending a productive garden.
John is survived by his wife, Marcella, and four children; Larry (Lisa; Paul (Linda; Mary Lynn; and Keith (Bev); five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He was the last surviving member of his nine siblings.
Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at North American Martyrs Catholic Church. Interment in Lincoln Memorial Park.
Obituary information from Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home website ~ June 6, 2015.
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