Anthony E. Ward Sr.

Anthony Eldridge Ward Sr.

CRISFIELD — Anthony Eldridge Ward Sr., 78, founder of Anthony E. Ward Funeral Home of Crisfield, departed this life Thursday, March 29, 2012, at the Edward W. McCready Memorial Hospital after a lengthy illness. Born on May 31, 1933, in Crisfield, he was a son of the late Leon E. Ward and Dorothy O. Hearn-Ward.

"Spank," as he was affectionately known, was raised in Crisfield, where he attended the Somerset County public schools and graduated from Carter G. Woodson High School in 1951. He joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school and served for three years during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged, Anthony lived in Philadelphia, where he was employed at Getty Oil Refinery in Delaware City, Del.

On June 9, 1959, he married his high school sweetheart, Marlene. Anthony continued to work at the oil refinery as Marlene taught elementary school.

However, against the advice of his peers, he left the oil refinery in 1959 to pursue his lifelong dream of being a mortician and enrolled in Eckel's College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia. After graduation, he served his apprenticeship at Wilson's Funeral Home in Baltimore. In 1960, Anthony was licensed as a funeral director and embalmer in the state of Maryland and established Anthony E. Ward Funeral Home at 11 S. Fourth St. in Crisfield. Anthony E. Ward Funeral Home then located to 314 Cove St. in Crisfield. In 1989, another funeral home location was opened in Princess Anne.

In the spirit of entrepreneurship, he also operated several other businesses, including Ward's Trucking Co. and the Broadway Lounge Nightclub.

In addition to serving as an accomplished funeral director and embalmer, Anthony made history and was elected as the first black city councilman in the city of Crisfield. Anthony was active in the civil rights movement in the 1960s and was influential in desegregating local establishments, including sit-ins and hosting the Freedom Riders when they came to Crisfield.

He was a member of St. Paul AME Church in Crisfield, where he served as a trustee and sang with the Sons of Allen Men's Choir. Anthony was a lifetime member of the Union Masonic Lodge 33 F. & A.M., the Crisfield Pride Lodge Improved Benevolent Protected Order Elks of the World (IBPOEW), and the Pi Alpha Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

He was an avid fisherman and hunter and held a special passion for rabbit hunting. Anthony was also an avid baseball fan and played with the Crisfield Stars baseball team in the 1950s. He loved jazz, especially the saxophone.

Anthony will be remembered not only as gaining a reputation as one of the most highly skilled embalmers in the state of Maryland, but he will also be remembered for giving his support to the community in various causes and lending a helping hand to anyone who needed it. He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him.

He leaves to cherish fond memories his wife of 56 years, Marlene G. Ward of Crisfield; four children, Hope (Warren) Ward Austin of Sicklerville, N.J., Anthony E. (Denean) Ward Jr. of Pocomoke City, Valerie (Mark) Martin of Princess Anne and Leon E. (Kendra) Ward of Crisfield; two sisters, Ann Brown of Fort Pierce, Fla., and Sylvia (Howard) Ward of Salisbury; a brother-in-law, Lyle (Cordelia) Gray of Washington, D.C.; 13 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; a best friend, Dr. H. DeWayne (Louise) Whittington of Marion Station; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. In addition to his parents, a daughter, Antonia Jones-Carter, and a sister, Dorothy Mae Jackson, have also preceded him in death.

He will lie in repose Friday from 1-3 p.m. at Anthony E. Ward Funeral Home at 30639 Hampden Ave. in Princess Anne, and from 6-9 p.m. at St. Paul AME Church on Fourth and Broadway streets in Crisfield. At 7 p.m., ceremonial rites will begin by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Crisfield Pride Lodge and Union Masonic Lodge 33 F. & A.M. in that sequence. He will also lie in repose Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Crisfield High School on Somerset Avenue in Crisfield. The funeral service will begin at 1 p.m. The Rev. Bess McAllister will be the officiating pastor. Interment will be in Hopewell United Methodist Church Cemetery in Crisfield.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in memory of Anthony E. Ward Sr. to the National Parkinson Foundation, 1501 N.W. Ninth Ave., Miami, Fla. 33136; or St. Paul AME Church, PO Box 208, Crisfield, Md. 21817. Professional services are in the care of Anthony E. Ward Funeral Home and assisted by Lewis N. Watson Funeral Home PA in Salisbury. Please visit www.lewisnwatsonfuneralhome.com to offer condolences to the family.