Sheryl L. Ward

Sheryl Lynn Ward (neé Waltz) passed away early morning, Friday September 19th, 2025, at the age of 63. Sheryl had been living with multiple myeloma, occasionally developing into plasma cell leukemia, off and on since late 2020. Her health took a recent downturn and she was struggling to keep her hemoglobin at a level sufficient enough to have a t-cell transplant. Sadly, she passed away due to complications relating to her cancer.
Sheryl's parents were Gerald Donn Waltz and Vicki Lyn (Broyles) Waltz of Indianapolis. They preceded her in death. Sheryl was born on January 24, 1962 in Indianapolis, IN. Sheryl attended Perry Meridian Schools and graduated from Perry Meridian High School in 1980. After high school, she earned her nursing degree from the University of Indianapolis. In 1983, Sheryl married Kent Ward. They initially lived on the southside of Indianapolis before moving to Greenwood in 1996.
Sheryl is survived by her son Clinton (Sheila) Ward and her granddaughter Veronica, daughters Haley Ward and Mallory Ward, great-aunt Martha Rodgers, sisters Beth Bigham, Dawn Fox, and Angela Gatliff, brother Greg Waltz, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and foster siblings. Her husband Kent Ward predeceased her in February 2021.
Sheryl Ward worked at a few different hospitals including Riley's Hospital for Children and St. Francis before joining Community Hospital South's brand new OB unit, where she worked for nearly 30 years. Many southside families had Sheryl as either one of their NICU nurses or as their lactation consultant.
She had a passion for helping families getting started on their parenthood journeys and taking care of the most vulnerable among us. She also had a passion for mentorship. After more education, Sheryl taught nursing at her alma mater, the University of Indianapolis for many years. Towards the end of her nursing career, Sheryl switched to phone triage nursing for Community Health before retiring. However, she couldn't deny her passion and chose to keep busy by working with WIC shortly before her passing. Among her coworkers and students, Sheryl was known for her passion for nursing, sharp sense of humor, kindness, and a love of Diet Coke. To her family, she was a devoted mother to her children and grandmother to her granddaughter. Sheryl enjoyed boating at Lake Monroe with her husband, family, and friends. She also enjoyed romance novels, home renovation shows, and was a super-fan of Rick Springfield, seeing him in concert several times.
Per Sheryl's wishes, the family has decided to forgo traditional services and will hold a Celebration of Life at a later date. The family requests memorial contributions to be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, now Blood Cancer United: https://bloodcancerunited.org.