From the desk of L.B. Ethiopia · Oregon

Hello, friend.

About Him

Mr. Leta Bedasso was born in 1935 in Gorbi, Negele Arsi District, in the West Arsi Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia, to his father Bedasso Shufo and mother Chaltu Hirpa. From humble beginnings as a young shepherd boy tending sheep and goats, he rose to become one of Ethiopia's most respected educators, church leaders, and community builders.

He was a man of deep faith, remarkable intellect, and quiet strength. Known for his integrity, wisdom, and compassion, Leta dedicated his life to serving God, his family, his students, and his country. He stood firmly for truth and justice, helped those in need, and inspired generations through his teaching and leadership.

What He Believed In

Faith A devoted Seventh-day Adventist who embraced the church as a young man after being moved by hymns he heard from outside its walls.
Education Believed learning was the path to dignity and opportunity, walking nearly 60 km daily as a boy just to attend school.
Service Gave his life to teaching, mentoring, and building institutions that would outlast him.
Integrity & Justice Stood firmly for what was right, even when it cost him his freedom.
Community Cherished family, students, and the Oromo people; mobilized communities at home and abroad for greater causes.

— in loving memory,

Leta

Read &

Kept

2026

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

Vol. I · No. 01 · Edition 2026

Leta Bedasso

~ the life of a quiet giant ~

Six decades. Two continents. Thousands of lives. The story of a man who built schools with his bare hands and called every child his own.

i. The boy from Ethiopia

Leta Bedasso was born in 1935, into a humble Oromo family in Ethiopia. The country was changing. The world was changing. He was a quiet child, the family said, but he listened. He listened to everything.

Education, in those years, was not guaranteed for boys like him. But somehow — through grit, through grace, through the kindness of one teacher and then another — he reached the front of his own classroom. And once he reached it, he never left.

ii. The home that became a school

In the 1970s, he began something quiet and remarkable. He opened the door of his home to any child who needed a place to learn. There were no fees. There were no questions asked. There was a chair, a book, and the unshakeable belief that every child deserved a future.

Word traveled. The chairs multiplied. The kitchen table extended into the yard. The yard extended into the street. The street extended into the community. The community extended into a legacy.

"He didn't just live among us. He raised us, taught us, and lit the way home."

— The community he built

iii. Three schools, two hundred students

By 1985, he had founded the first of three community schools. He paid school fees from his own pocket. He bought books with money he did not have. He stood at the front of classrooms long after the working day was done, and he welcomed every visitor as family.

If you sat at his table, you were family. If you needed a meal, a bed, a kind word — you were family. This is what he taught, even when he was not teaching.

iv. Honored, twice

In 2023, in Portland, the community he had shaped honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Adventist Education — for distinguished service, leadership, and faithful devotion to the mission of educating youth.

In 2024, the Oromo community of Seattle and Washington named him Obbo Leta Badhaaso — honored elder — for his lifelong devotion to his people.

He smiled. He said thank you. And he went back to work.

v. The way home

He passed in 2018, leaving behind a wife, his children, seven grandchildren, a community he helped raise, and a legacy that is still being written — in every life he touched.

A teacher affects eternity, the saying goes. He can never tell where his influence stops.

✦

The family he built

~ his enduring legacy ~

His parents

Bedasso Shufo & Chaltu Hirpa

The patriarch · 1935 — 2018

Leta Bedasso

Wife · married 1969

Mrs. Bontu Guye

Their children

2 sons & 2 daughters

The next generation

7 grandchildren

A legacy of

11 souls carrying his name forward

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

Frame · Plaque · Citation

A life well lived

~ from the wall of his office ~

A life is measured by what it builds for others. By that measure, Leta built much.

3+

Schools

5

Colleges led

3

Continents

∞

Lives

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

From the family album

The polaroids

~ click any to enlarge ~

the voice

young L., 1970

Portland, 2023

honored elder

the welcome

flowers & family

by the water

walking her in

heritage

the next generations

among elders

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— Please sign the book —

The guest book

If Leta touched your life, leave a note here. Every entry keeps him with us.

— write your entry —

* All fields required so the family can stay in touch with you.

He taught me to read at his kitchen table. I am a teacher today because of him.

— A former student

When my family had nothing, he paid for my schoolbooks. He never let me thank him — said God would.

— A community member

Grandfather, you were our compass. We will walk the way you showed us.

— His grandchildren

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— Carry the torch —

Support his legacy

Leta gave everything to education. Help us carry the work he started — in his three schools, with his students, for the next generation of children who deserve a future.

$

Fund

The Scholarship Fund

Contribute to a scholarship for students continuing the work Leta began — fees, books, supplies for children in the schools he founded.

Donate →

∞

Share

Share his story

Send this memorial to anyone whose life he touched — or anyone who needs to see what one quiet life can do.

Share →

✉

Mail

Get in touch

For partnerships, volunteer opportunities, or to learn more about how to support the schools and students Leta loved.

Contact →

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— light a candle —

The candle wall

For every soul who knew him, a candle. Add yours below — it will burn here, with the others.

~ be the first to light one ~

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— side A · in his own voice —

Audio memories

Recordings from his speeches, his lessons, and the people who knew him best. Press play.

The speech, Portland 2023

Lifetime Achievement Address · 6:42

"What we give the children, they will give the world."

A blessing in Oromo

Recorded by his daughter · 1:18

The blessing he gave every grandchild at the door.

A lesson on patience

From a classroom recording · 4:21

Leta explaining why no child should be hurried.

His grandchildren remember

Family interview · 8:55

Three generations, one table, many stories.

~ Real recordings coming soon. Family is preparing them. ~

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— from his students —

Letters he received

Years after his classes, they wrote. Here is what they said.

Letter 01 · 2019 · Addis Ababa

You taught me to read.

I was seven years old. I came to your kitchen because my own house had no books. I remember the chair, the lamp, the smell of the bread your wife baked while we studied.

I am a teacher now. My students think I am patient. They do not know that I learned patience from a man who never raised his voice, who waited for me to finish a sentence I was scared to start.

I owe you everything I do.

— Tariku, Class of '88

Letter 02 · 2021 · Seattle

When my father died.

When my father died, I was thirteen. My mother could not afford school. You came to our door with no announcement and said: "Send him tomorrow. Don't tell anyone."

You paid my school fees for six years. I never knew until my mother told me, on her deathbed, what you had done. You had asked her never to say.

I am a physician today. Every patient I have ever treated owes you something.

— Dr. Bekele, Class of '95

Letter 03 · 2023 · Adama

You said I was clever.

I was a slow student. Other teachers said so. You said the opposite. You said I was clever in a way they hadn't learned to see yet.

I held onto that sentence for thirty years. When I started my own business and people told me it would not work, I held that sentence. When I doubted myself, I held it.

You were right. I was clever. I just needed someone to say it.

— Hirut, Class of '92

Letter 04 · 2024 · Portland

You welcomed my mother.

I was not your student. My mother was, sixty years ago. She told me, every year of my life, what you did for her. She told my children. She tells my grandchildren now.

You did not teach me, but you taught the woman who taught me everything. Your lessons reached me through her hands.

Thank you, Obbo Leta. The light keeps moving.

— A grandson of Sara, c/o '64

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— Today's date —

On this day

Moments from Leta's life that align with today's calendar.

~ a quiet day in his calendar ~

The full year, month by month

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— stay close —

The annual letter

Once a year, the family sends one letter — with updates on the schools, the students, and the work that continues in his name. No spam. One letter, every year, just like the ones he used to write.

Dear friend,

You knew him. Or you wish you had. Either way, you are part of this now.

Once a year, around the anniversary of his passing, we will send you a single letter. It will tell you how many students are still in his schools. It will tell you their names. It will tell you what they are learning, and what they hope to be when they grow up.

If you would like to receive that letter, leave your address below.

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

— together —

The thermometer

How close are we to keeping his schools open for one more year?

$0

raised toward our $50,000 goal

Every gift goes directly to the three schools Leta built — fees, books, supplies, and teacher stipends for the year ahead.

Recent gifts

letalegacy.com · 1935 — 2018

Leta Bedasso

His desk

Wherever he is,
the light is still.

By the Numbers

From the Archives

Featured

Headlines

What He Loved & Was Known For

A community still growing

His Life

About Him

What He Believed In

Leta Bedasso

i. The boy from Ethiopia

ii. The home that became a school

iii. Three schools, two hundred students

iv. Honored, twice

v. The way home

The family he built

A life well lived

The polaroids

The guest book

Support his legacy

The Scholarship Fund

Share his story

Get in touch

The candle wall

Audio memories

Letters he received

You taught me to read.

When my father died.

You said I was clever.

You welcomed my mother.

On this day

The full year, month by month

The thermometer

Recent gifts

Leta Bedasso

His desk

Wherever he is,the light is still.

By the Numbers

From the Archives

Featured

Headlines

What He Loved & Was Known For

A community still growing

His Life

About Him

What He Believed In

i. The boy from Ethiopia

ii. The home that became a school

iii. Three schools, two hundred students

iv. Honored, twice

v. The way home

The family he built

A life well lived

The polaroids

The guest book

Support his legacy

The Scholarship Fund

Share his story

Get in touch

The candle wall

Audio memories

Letters he received

You taught me to read.

When my father died.

You said I was clever.

You welcomed my mother.

On this day

The full year, month by month

The annual letter

The thermometer

Recent gifts

Make a donation

Thank you, friend.

Send a message

Message sent.

Wherever he is,
the light is still.