September 16, 1920-August 14, 2007

   

Jean's Eulogy:

Good morning, I'm Jean, Paul's granddaughter and Terry's middle child.  Gramps, as we called him, was the kind of grandfather that always had a smile that lit up his whole face, a good fishing story, and a deep love for his family.

Growing up, visits to Gramps and Grandma's house guaranteed the best home cookin' on the planet.  And though Grandma was the master cook, Gramps did his share by contributing something fresh from his garden.  His green beans couldn't be beat.  Every meal started with a prayer and ended with Gramps praising Grandma for the wonderful food.  During dinner, when Gramps wasn't urging Grandma to "sit down already" (as Grandma would be bringing out more food "just in case" there wasn't enough), he always had a funny story to relate.  He had a way of capturing one's attention with his laughter and that famous smile of his.

He knew that for us Grandkids, we didn't need much to keep us busy.  Gramps was born in 1920, and growing up during the Great Depression taught him that kids don't need a mound of toys to keep themselves occupied.  At Gramps and Grandma's house, we played with Lincoln Logs, their pool table, and the Radio Flyer wagon.  There were many visits where we played on the floor while everyone else visited and shared news.  Gramps was always eager to hear the new and exiciting things going on in our lives.

He was a quintessential Grandfather, as he was a link between us and our parents.  He told us stories about Dad growing up with Kenny, Linda and Phil, and of course we loved hearing about the trouble Dad got into.  You'll be happy to know he doesn't play baseball in onion fields any more, at least as far as we know.

Gramps was a WWII Veteran, and was darn proud of it.  During the war, he was an Army 1st Sgt. and supervised maintenance at a B17 Base Company in England.  After returning from the war, Gramps started his own business:  Ward Auto Supply, where he was an automotive jobber.  He sold shop in '66 and worked for Montgomery Ward in their automotive department for ten years.  After that, he worked of US Steel as an Apprentice Millwright, where he retired.  A hard-working man, he made sure that his Grandkids knew that hard work pays off.  He always asked his Grandkids about work:  "How's it goin' at Southwest, Laurie?  Are you flying a lot lately?"  He valued hard work and loyalty, and was proud when he saw that his Kids and Grandkids did the same.

The Holidays were always festive, as Grandma would cook up a great turkey in the electric roaster and Gramps would carve it.  Sitting around the picnic tables downstairs with Uncle Kenny, Aunt Linda and Uncle Phil always yielded two things:  lots of laughter and new stories about the Kids growing up, which always had us laughing.

Gramps loved visiting with people.  Whenever he and Grandma made the trek out to Indiana, they were usually making the rounds, and we loved hearing what everyone was up to.  Together with Gramdma, they enjoyed being social with family and friends alike.

Gramps loved dogs, and when we were yound, their dog Pepper was very much loved.  Pepper was, in fact, like a child to him, and we practically called the dog, "Uncle Pepper."

Gramps was a very compasionate and kind person.  His legacy of hard work, laughter and kindness lives on in his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Thank you for sharing this day with us as we say goodbye to Gramps.

Terry's Poem from the 50th Wedding Anniversity Party:

Paul and Bernice

In the summer of 1942,
A young man feeling fine
Said to Bernice Carlton
"Do you want to hang your wash out with mine?"

So Paul and Bernice married
And tried to settle down,
But the war had just started
And Paul had to leave town.

Off to England he traveled
So they talked through paper and pen,
In 1944, she wrote
You have a son named Ken.

Paul came home after the War,
His young family to percieve,
Bernice welcomed him warmly
And Terry was born on New Year’s Eve.

When Linda arrived in ’49,
They got to be a crowd,
So Paul built a house in Homewood
That would make any family proud.

They moved to Harvey in ’55,
To be close to Pauls new store,
Phil was born in ’59
The kids now numbered four.

In ’62 they moved to the town
Where many onions grew
This was the best house of them all,
And they know, they had a few.

The times haven’t always been easy,
As we look back, my friend.
But somehow I think that Paul and Bernice
Would do it all again.

And so since 1942,
Things have gone along just fine
"Do you still want to hang
your wash with mine?"

-by Terry Ward
(written 1992)

Pictures from Margie Ward

   
Phil, Kenny and Terry....Phil, Linda, Kenny and Terry

   
Jan, Brian and Kenny....Margie, Kenny, Jimmy and Aaron

      
Jeremy, Brian, Phil and Kenny

      
Military Honors

      
Playing Taps and presenting the Flag to Bernice

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