Ava Rose Ledesma

Ava Rose Ledesma brought joy to the lives of those around her. She loved to laugh and she loved to make other people laugh. Kind to everyone, Ava put others first, ahead of herself. She was calm and even-tempered, keeping her cool and helping others keep theirs. She led by example, being gentle, sensitive and thoughtful. Ava cared deeply about her family and friends, and wanted to be sure they knew how much she cared. She was a beautiful, strong, loving 13-year-old. Ava was an artist. She was a talented painter, and gave her artwork as gifts. For birthdays and holidays, she preferred to make, not buy, presents for others, and her creativity produced unique and personal one-of-a-kind treasures. Her bedroom floor would be covered in art supplies as she sat for hours painting figures and designing meaningful gifts for each person in her family. This past Christmas, she turned to a new canvas, skin! She spent the day drawing designs on family members, who went home with beautiful, colorful, temporary tattoos. Ava appreciated beauty, color, and all that sparkled. She saw art everywhere she looked. Learning new skills came easily to her. When her brother Eli taught her a new card game, Ava mastered it quickly until soon she was winning every game. The same thing happened when he taught her chess and spike ball. School was a joy for her at Heritage Elementary and Bennington Middle School, and if you asked, she’d tell you every single teacher was her favorite. She loved rules, and loved following them, so teachers liked her, too. Ava was determined and persistent. She won awards for being a hard worker, and awards for being a leader. When she tried out for her first competitive volleyball team and didn’t make it, she was devastated. She chose to play tennis and became very skilled. At the same time, she was determined to improve at volleyball, practicing diligently on her own. At the next tryout, she made the top volleyball team. She was very proud to say, “I EARNED that spot, Mom!” Outdoors was Ava’s favorite place to be. She liked camping and fishing. Being outdoors was freeing for her, and having skinned knees and scratches was simply part of the package. She loved riding her scooter, and she and Eli would go together to watch sunsets over the lake. Family was so very important to Ava. She loved to cook and read books with Grandma Pennington and make tortillas with Grandma Ledesma. She and Grandpa Ledesma joked about Ava being prettier today than the day before. And she teased Grandpa Pennington about their too-fast, speed-walking shopping trips together. Ava and her mom had a ritual whenever she was on the court or field. Ava would look into the bleachers, catch her mom’s attention, and point to her eye, her heart, and her mom to say, “I love you,” and her mom would return the message. They loved doing all kinds of things together, like power shopping and going out for ice cream. Besides being her coach, Ava’s dad was also her stylist, in charge of her beautiful French braids for school, sports, and going out with friends. She was also his go-to pitcher because she always threw strikes. The other pitchers liked it when Coach Derik came to the mound with a joke. Not Ava. She would give him a look that said she wanted no nonsense when she pitched! Her brother Eli meant the world to Ava. When he was born, Ava was 15 months old and would sit on the couch with her little arms stuck out and say, “I hold Bubba!” Ava loved him beyond belief and wanted to protect him. She always made sure he was included in everything, taking care to put him first, before her. They grew up as each other’s constant companion and closest friend, playing sports, camping, riding bikes, telling jokes, and having fun. Ava and Eli are forever best friends. Ava loved life. She worked so hard to live, battling disease for seven long months, no matter how painful her fight became. Her disease was painful and cruel, but Ava was a warrior and chose to focus on the good. Even in the worst moments, she wanted others to be happy, joking with the paramedics in the ambulance. She made friends with every nurse in the ICU and lined up the entire neurosurgeon team to tell them a joke before the day started. Learning every caregiver’s name was important to her so she could include each of them in her list of friends. Ava was baptized March first of 2009. Her faith was deep, and she shared it with others. She had a close relationship with Jesus and wanted everyone to feel His love. She did His work and brought many people to Him during her short life. She had no doubts about God’s love for her, and knew exactly where she was going. She could see God in the world around her and was confident in His everlasting love. Ava gave her love and kindness freely, to the benefit of all who knew her. She was a blessing in this world. Surviving Ava are her parents, Derik and Lindsay Ledesma, brother Eli, Grandparents Dan and Johnell Pennington and John and Sylvia Ledesma, and aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Memorials can be made to the family for later designation.

Ava Rose Ledesma

February 2, 2009 - August 12, 2022