René Yvonne Ward

René Yvonne Ward passed away in Lawrence, Ks on January 14th, 2026 , at the age of 72, with her beloved sister Leilani by her side. René was born January 10, 1954 in Dodge City, Kansas to Carter F. Thornton and Marjorie J (Havas) Thornton. She was the 6th of 12 Thornton children.

On June 9th, 1973 René married John Allen Ward in Augusta, Kansas, they shared 51 years of marriage before John passed away in 2024. John and René lived primarily in Lawrence and Dodge City, Ks and for the last 30 years, in rural Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Their home, wherever they were, was the center of both the Ward and Thornton families. Inside and out, René was stunningly beautiful. Her husband and family were everything to her.

René co-owned Tech Services & Constructors in Bartlesville, Oklahoma where she worked not only as the office manager but also became a skilled Piping Quality Assurance technician. René loved animals-all her pets for the last 30 years were strays that wandered into her yard. She also took tremendous joy in creating a mecca for hummingbirds on her deck. In her last days at home, she was still making homemade nectar for them. René enjoyed antiquing and genealogy. She single handedly tracked down her father’s military crew from WWII revealing that he had been a true hero-it was an incredible gift to her family.

René is survived by daughter, Virginia Thornton of Hutchinson, Ks; five grandchildren: Jordan LaForce of Baldwin City, Ks, Jarrod LaForce and Steven LaForce of Hutchinson, Ks, Natasha LaForce of Chicago, Ill and Alexia Ward of Jacksonville, Fla; five great-grandchildren, Roman and Kaiden LaForce, Lila and Violet LaForce, and Andromeda LaForce Lopez; two brothers, Curtiss and wife, Jules Thornton of Vero Beach, Fla, and Kelly Thornton of Ottawa, Ks and two sisters, Shelley Watts of Kansas City, Mo and Leilani Tuttle of Lawrence, Ks. and many nieces and nephews.

René was preceded in death by her parents; husband, John; her son Chad Ward; her brothers Steve Thornton, Rodney Thornton, Randy Thornton; and sisters, Linnette Hurst, Nina Sigmund, Colleen Lobb, and Lisa Thornton.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 P.M., January 31, 2026 at Koup Family Funeral Home, in Eureka with Pastor Jerry Smith of the Faith Baptist Church of Andover officiating. Cremation has been effected. Inurnment will follow at Quincy Cemetery, Quincy, Kansas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Midland Hospice. Contributions may be sent in care of Koup Family Funeral Home, PO Box 595, Eureka KS 67045, which is overseeing arrangements. Condolences may be left for the family online, at koupfunerals.com.