Mpls - Benjamin Carlton Leadholm died at Little Hospice in Edina on May 21st of complications arising from cancer. He was 85. Ben was born April 25, 1940, to Marion (Swenson) and Carlton Leadholm at Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The eldest of four, he graduated from Washburn High School in 1958, Gustavus Adolphus College cum laude in 1962 and the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1966. He married fellow Gustie, Ruth Ann (Johnson) in September 1963. Ben served in the United States Armed Services as a flight surgeon with the Air Force Reserve out of Grand Forks Air Force Base and was honorably discharged in 1969. In 1970, Ben started post graduate training in general surgery at the Lovelace Clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico and completed a residency in Otolaryngology (ENT) at the University of Colorado in Denver. In 1976, he and Ruth, along with their three sons, Ben (1967), Sam (1968) and Jesse (1971), moved back to the Midwest to be closer to family, joining Southdale Otolaryngology as a partner in 1976. He loved practicing medicine and treating patients. Ben was a lifelong skier, helping to cut the trails of Buck Hill in Bloomington during high school. He was a member of Boy Scout Troop 70 of Highland Park, Texas, obtaining the rank of Eagle under guidance of the Troop's Scoutmaster, Lon Sailers. Later in life he enjoyed sailing the Minneapolis lakes and puzzling over his long and short game in golf. Avid travelers, Ben and Ruth enjoyed exploring countries in Africa, Asia and Europe with family and friends. Ben and Ruth were longstanding, active members of Normandale Lutheran church in Edina. Following in Carlton's footsteps, Ben was a member of Svenska Sällskapet; however, he turned his nose up at some things Swedish, like holiday lutefisk and Volvo ownership. Ben was kind and generous and a man of deep faith. Ben's stoic temperament gave way to incredible warmth and humor when around family and friends. He lived well, was deeply loved by family and will be profoundly missed. Ben is survived by his wife, Ruth Ann, his sister, Sara Jane, his sons, Ben (Kristin); Sam (Emily) and Jesse, and his grandchildren, Rachael, Jessica (their mother Pushpa), Evelyn, Frances, Oscar and Jai. Services will be at Normandale Lutheran church in Edina at a time this summer to be determined and announced on Ben's CaringBridge page.