Ned Earl Ludlow, Jr.

Ned Earl Ludlow, Jr. passed away peacefully at home on October 1, 2024, the day after his 46th wedding anniversary and the day before his 75th birthday, after a prolonged battle with ALS. He was the middle child of Ned Earl Ludlow, Sr and Ellen Carolyn (Carol) Durfee and was born in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The highlight of his life was when he married Linda Polhemus on September 30, 1978, and was sealed forever to Linda and their daughters Jennifer and Stacy on December 27th, 1979 in the Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He met Linda on an elevator at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC and asked her on a date. When he found out she had children, he took them all to get ice cream and act out Little Red Riding Hood in the park and it was love at first sight for everyone. They married a short time later and have been a forever family for 46 years, with eternity to go.

Ned grew up in a military family and moved around a lot. They were stationed in Guam, England, Turkey, and various locations around the US. When his father was stationed at Incerlik AFB in Turkey, Ned attended a boarding school in Ankara; and he climbed Mount Ararat – sadly he didn’t see Noah’s Ark! He went on his first mission to the Southern States mission at 19 years old. He served in Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama, where he was required to wear a suit, tie, and hat, even in the hottest summer months.

He attended BYU, working the summer months as a flagger on an asphalt laying project on I-15. After that, he worked as a security guard, which led him into his 40-year career in retail, first at Two Guys, then Chess King, Casual Corner, and eventually as the VP of Loss Prevention for Williams-Sonoma. He retired in 2019.

Ned and Linda spent the last few years traveling extensively. Another highlight of his life was returning to Turkey last year to see the beautiful land that he loved in his youth. They also traveled to Africa, England, Belgium, Holland, Egypt, France, Austria, Germany, and Italy, sometimes just the two of them, but oftentimes with their traveling buddies. He also loved relaxing at their condo in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where he enjoyed deep-sea fishing. He once caught a record-breaking Yellow Fin Tuna but was cheated out of his trophy by a hurricane that damaged the scale.

He loved to cook for people, a skill he learned while working for a lodge in Flaming Gorge, Utah, where he routinely received tips, “for the chef.” His annual Christmas parties, which he catered himself, grew so popular that people asked to be invited and arranged their schedules around it. Instead of a funeral, we will hold a big party in his honor later this year and serve all of his delicious delicacies. 

While in Danville, California, Ned and Linda cared lovingly for his aged parents for 8 years. Then, retired and growing older themselves, they moved to Draper, Utah to be with Jen and Stacy. They were recently called on a mission to the Utah Salt Lake East Mission. They loved teaching, especially young people. As his ALS worsened, he was often urged to give it up but flatly refused. He continued with his mission until he received his final transfer home.

Ned is survived by his loving wife, Linda Polhemus Ludlow, his much-loved daughters Jennifer and Stacy Ludlow, and his sister, Leilani Ludlow Sedlacek (Rick). He is preceded in death by his parents and sister Kristen Ravetz.

He will be deeply missed.

Ned did not want a funeral, instead he wanted a huge party with all of his friends and his favorite food. We will have this closer to Christmas so we can honor Ned and his favorite holiday. Details will be forthcoming