Ward Winer

WINER, Professor Ward Otis

Professor Ward Otis Winer. June 27, 1936 - May 25, 2025

Ward Winer, Georgia Tech Regents Professor Emeritus, an internationally respected academic, devoted husband and father, and beloved grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, passed away peacefully on May 25, 2025, at the age of 88.

Ward was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He earned his B.S (1958), M.S. (1959), and Ph.D. (1962) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He earned a second Ph.D. in Physics (1964) from the University of Cambridge, England, in the Cavendish Laboratory.

Ward began his academic career at the University of Michigan, and in 1969 he came to Georgia Tech, where he spent nearly forty years until his retirement in 2008. From 1989 to 2008, Ward was the longest serving Chair of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Tech. After retirement, he was asked to return as the Interim Chair of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering for a year, and he continued part time at Tech until 2019. He maintained his involvement on national and international boards until 2023.

Ward's distinguished academic career was marked by numerous honors and awards, including the Tribology Gold Medal from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He was elected into the National Academy of Engineers and as a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, underscoring his profound impact on his field. He sat on numerous advisory boards, including at MIT, University of Michigan, University of California at Berkeley, and Carnegie-Mellon University.

A devoted family man, Ward is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mary Jo Wielinga Winer; his children, Matt, Jim, Paul, and Mary; as well as thirteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He loved travel, engaging with generations of students and young faculty, and disparate hobbies from mushroom gathering to photography. He cherished many decades-long friendships and will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 20, at 2:00 PM, at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church, 11330 Woodstock Road, Roswell, Georgia. The service will be followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ward O. Winer Faculty Professional Development Fund at the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech.