Sonoma Valley's "Ledson Boys"

The "Ledson boys" - Whitby, Noble and Winslow - as they were known in the Sonoma Valley, were the sons of Barker and Edna. They had inherited their parent's love of farming and ranching nd participated in FFA in high school and won many livestock competitions. And like their father before them they were also entrepreneurs and started their own company, General Parcel Delivery, which thrived by delivering basic home essentials to their rural neighbors. They did this until they left for college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University.

Noble Ledson was Steve's father and it was his wish to continue the Ledson family tradition of farming. He founded his own dairy farm, Meadowlark Farms Dairy, on Warm Springs Road in 1944. So successful was his dairy and so valuable his route that in 1954, shortly after his brother Winslow became General Manager, Clover Dairy purchased Meadowlark Farms Dairy and contracted Noble to distribute Clover milk in Sonoma Valley. He purchased or leased property all over Sonoma County where he raised cattle and grew prunes, hay, walnuts, and of course wine grapes.

While his various businesses were growing, so was Noble's family. In 1948, he married Virginia Martinson, an Iowa transplant who had met and captured Noble's heart when he was home on leave during the war. Together they had two children: Nancy Ledson born in 1955 and Steven Noble Ledson, born in 1952. From the start it was clear that Steve had the drive, the farming instincts - and the bullheadedness of the Ledson and Cunningham clans combined.

Early on Noble instilled in Steve the importance of hard work and a good breakfast. By the age of six, Steve was a full-time farmer in training; he could drive a tractor - albeit with the help of a grown up who could reach the pedals - tell the difference between a prune tree and grapevine, tinker with farm equipment and bid on beef cattle.

Until his death, on February 8th, 2004 at age 88, Noble was a force of nature. A gregarious raconteur with an endless repertoire of old Sonoma Valley stories, he routinely consulted on the grape growing and wine making at Ledson Winery, drawing on his life long valley friendships to unearth prime, new vineyard sites. Though he has now passed away, his spirit and legacy remains forever.