Claudia Traisman Ward

Claudia Traisman Ward
Claudia Traisman Ward passed away on June 1, 2023, of complications from a rare blood clotting disorder. She was 81.

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, she embodied kindness, curiosity, intelligence, and optimism in all that she did, whether nurturing her family, teaching University of Wisconsin students, running a business with her husband William (Bill) Ward, or traveling the world.

Born in Illinois, she spent her teenage and earlier adult years in and around Madison, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning an undergraduate degree in home economics in 1964, followed by a master's degree in entomology.

Working in a UW toxicology lab, she was part of a team that researched the harmful effects of Agent Orange, which was used during the Vietnam War. Their work was cited when the U.S. banned the chemical in 1971 and is still referenced today.

She also worked as a lecturer teaching entomology, or the study of insects, to undergraduate students. Claudia, Bill and their two children moved to Santa Rosa, California in 1982, drawn by the mild weather and proximity to two of Claudia's siblings.

In Santa Rosa, she and Bill founded a business making signs. In doing so, they drew on earlier entrepreneurial ventures in Madison, where in their 20s they ran their own summer drive-in restaurant and later owned an equipment rental store.

They sold the sign business about 15 years ago and retired, allowing them to more fully indulge in one of Claudia's great loves - travel. She and Bill went to China, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, the Galapagos and just about every country in Europe, some repeatedly.

Each February for almost three decades, they also went to Cancun or Playa Del Carmen, Mexico with family and friends.

At home, she loved gardening, reading and baking, and was an active member of First United Methodist Church of Santa Rosa, where she was a Stephen Minister.

Claudia is survived by her husband Bill, her children Doug and Jenna (Chad), grandchildren Spencer and Julia, siblings Barbara, Steven, Denise and Lisa, stepmother Dorothy and five nephews. She is preceded in death by her father Edwin and mother Elvi.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church of Santa Rosa on July 16, at 2 p.m.