08/18/2026
Today is an incredibly difficult day for the Freedom Plumbing family as we say goodbye to someone who is a very important part of the reason this company exists — James Everett Ladd, the father of one of our owners.
Everett passed away this morning, but the lessons, work ethic, and legacy he leaves behind will always be a part of Freedom Plumbing.
Long before there was a Freedom Plumbing truck on the road or our name on a uniform, Everett was working with his hands and providing for his family. From the 1980s through the 2000s, he worked as a pipe welder and plumber in the chicken plants, doing the kind of hard, honest work that helped teach the next generation what it meant to work with your hands, take pride in your craft, and do a job the right way.
But his influence went even further than that.
Everett was one of the people who pushed and encouraged his son to take the leap and open Freedom Plumbing. Without that encouragement, there is a very real chance that Freedom Plumbing would never have become what it is today.
Every truck that pulls out in the morning. Every customer we help. Every difficult job our team refuses to give up on. Every family that has been supported by this company. And every opportunity we have had to serve our community carries a little piece of the foundation he helped build.
Freedom Plumbing has a history — and Everett Ladd is part of that history.
Today, we aren’t just mourning the loss of a father, grandfather, family member, and friend. We are honoring a hardworking man whose influence will continue long after his time here.
We will forever be thankful for the push, the encouragement, the knowledge, and the example he gave us.
Rest easy, Everett Ladd.
Your work here may be finished, but your legacy will continue every time one of our trucks rolls down the road. ❤️🇺🇸
In loving memory of James Everett Ladd.
Forever a part of the Freedom Plumbing story.
