Carmen L. Ward

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.| Carmen Lewis Ward, born Mar. 11, 1911, passed away at home on Saturday, May 20, 2006. It was the only day in 95 years that she was unable to get out of bed and into the sunshine, so she decided to move on from this life and undertake the blessed passage to the next.

Carmen was an ever-devoted mother, supporter and confidante extraordinaire to her daughter, Carole and a ''Rock-of-Gibraltar'' grandmother to the two brightest stars in her universe, Jason and Anna Hinkes.

Carmen was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1911 and raised in Long Island, N.Y. by her mother, Gene F. Lewis and her beloved stepfather, Frederick W. Lewis. Carmen attended Great Neck High School, Dana Hall and graduated from Wellesley College in 1933 with a degree in economics.

A talented businesswoman of great integrity, Carmen worked all her life with her father's real estate business, starting out with the Lewis brothers at Lewis & Valentine in Roslyn, N.Y. She developed and sold Four Way Lodge Estates in Coconut Grove, Fla. and worked with her father and the Lewis brothers on Long Bay Estates in Myrtle Beach, where she used to trap and band birds and ducks for release and study. Wearing wading boots or high riding boots to protect her from snake bites, Carmen walked the property and waded into the alligator-filled lakes to band waterfowl while boldly smoking a pipe.

In her youth, she was quite the sportswoman, excelling in golf, basketball, field hockey and tennis.

In 1941, Carmen married Llewellyn ''Luke'' K. Ward of Myrtle Beach, with whom she maintained a warm personal and professional relationship after their divorce and up until his death in 1998.

In 1982, after many decades of living and working in Miami, she left the verdant east coast for the New Mexico high desert to be close to her grandchildren and became an integral part of the Hinkes family. Carmen developed a very strong connection to New Mexico and it was her sanctuary for the last quarter of her life. She loved her backyard, the wild birds, hummingbirds and squirrels she so diligently fed and she embraced the culture, people and art of this very special place.

Carmen never thought of herself as a senior citizen and old age was always at least 15 years older than she was. She continued working as a trustee and in real estate until quite recently and she prepared her last tax return three months ago.

Carmen's life was vastly enriched these last few months by the exceptional care and love she received from her extraordinary caregivers. They were a blessing to her and the family - Thank you so much ''Pammie-Wammie,'' Amy, Johanna, Angelica, Joshua, Sharon R. and Sharron P.

Besides her daughter and grandchildren, Carmen is survived by her cousin, Marion ''Babs'' Whitaker of Northfield, Mass.; Luke Ward's son and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. James L. Ward of Myrtle Beach; and her former son-in-law, Ken Hinkes and his family.

The following lines from Proverbs are most appropriate for Carmen: ''Strength and dignity were her clothing, and she laughed at the time to come. She opened her mouth with wisdom and the teaching of kindness was on her tongue. She looked well to the ways of her household and did not eat of the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed.''

A memorial and celebration of Carmen's life will take place on Sunday, June 11, 2006 at 11 a.m. in her home and backyard at 3243 Calle de Deborah NW, Albuquerque, N.M.

Sign a guest book at Myrtle BeachOnline.com.

For those wishing to make a donation in her memory, please consider giving to ''Friends of the Bosque del Apache'' for a bird watching bench for one of the viewing platforms at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge near Socorro, N.M. The mailing address is PO Box 340, San Antonio, NM 87832. Please remember to use her name in the memo line.

French Mortuary, Albuquerque, N.M., (505) 843-6333, is serving the family.