Daniel Wilson Ladlee of Meredith passed away at his home Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026.
Dan was a hard worker from an early age, and like many in Delaware County, he held a variety of jobs. He was a farm hand, a carpenter, worked at Del-Met, Dellwood Creamery, Scintilla, and Medi-Coach. When he was hired at NYCDEP to work at the reservoir, he knew he had it made. He called the reservoir “my pond.”
At home he enjoyed running his tractor and backhoe. It was good that he had nine acres - no tree trunk was safe from being dug up and reburied.
Dan lived his whole life in Meredith; he knew the locals and frequented the Meredith Inn and had a lot of stories to tell. Despite his heart and lung problems Dan outlived many of the local boys he grew up with. He liked to gamble and had gambled on five more years after his open-heart surgery in 2016 and when he passed that milestone Dan gambled again on five more and he did make it to 2026.
He is survived by his wife Ella, his daughter Christine, son-in-law Nate and grandchildren, Emma and Sam Place. Dan leaves behind three brothers: Tom, John, and Richard, and two sisters, Shelah and Bonnie as well as their families.
Dan was predeceased by his parents Cyrus and Beulah, his brother Dave and his sister Tammy. His son Matt died from cancer at age 20 and that was a heartbreak Dan never recovered from.
The day before he passed, we heard Dan say, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Matt.”
At Dan’s request there will be no calling hours or funeral services. Private burial will take place, and he will be laid to rest next to Matt in Woodland Cemetery in Delhi.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Delhi EMS, 140 Delview Terrace Ext., Delhi, NY, 13753 - they went above and beyond many times to save Dan’s life - or Helios Care (www.helioscare.org) who helped keep him comfortable on his last journey.
Visit www.macarthurfh.com to share a condolence with the Ladlee family.
