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John Ward Obituary
October 20, 1961 - March 29, 2022
John Russell Ward (known as Jack to his family) passed away on March 29, 2022, after a four-month illness. A native of Schenectady, NY, he was born in 1961, the son of John H. Ward and Aline M. (Weymouth) Ward. He is survived by his brothers Robert N. Ward (Genevieve Cottraux) of Oakland, CA, and Richard C. Ward (Adelle), of Schenectady, NY. He is also survived by Joseph R. Ward (Isabella), their son Clark, of San Jose, CA; John N. Ward , of Schenectady; Robert H. Ward (Kim Howansky), their son Levi, of Schenectady; Maylot Ward (Matthew Sterlina) of Schenectady; Cynthia Ward, of Schenectady and her daughter Harmony Spieser, of Wilmington, NC. He is also survived by his close friends Woodrow Evans and Anthony Meyer who helped care for him during his illness, and to whom the family is deeply grateful.
A graduate of Niskayuna High School in Schenectady, and of Bowdoin College, he moved to San Francisco in 1985 and worked for The Information Store, and for UMI. For the last 23 years he was Head of Customer Service for the American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco.
A life-long lover of dogs, John wanted to raise Bernese Mountain Dogs and other large breeds in retirement, but was not able to fulfill his dream due to his illness. Contributions in his name may be sent to The Morris Animal Foundation, 720 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80246. A gathering in his memory will be scheduled at a future time.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for John Ward
6 Entries
Tam Mowbray
January 23, 2024
RIP - buddy just read your flyin stories from Arabia.
Todd Larson
July 27, 2022
I went to Bowdoin with Jack, and I remember him as friendly, kind and helpful to many people. I'll never forget his farewell speech to his fraternity, in which he spoke of how he learned how friendly, intelligent and kind people could be in different people he came to know in college, and how grades didn't mean anything without good friends. And he certainly worked hard to make the most of his friendships. I remember when he helped a student with a course he himself had taken by giving her a topic for the final paper and telling her what to write, and as a result she got a B+ on the assignment. I also fondly remember Jack's unique sense of humor, making jokes about his struggles, and he made me laugh a lot. He was also refreshingly honest about whatever was on his mind. His love of dogs certainly came out in his kindness. Thank you, Jack, for touching so many people. Rest in peace.
Karen Duke
April 5, 2022
My heart goes out to your family. John was an absolute gem and a loyal friend. I´ll miss him dearly.
Mark D Fowler
April 4, 2022
May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.
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Reggie Snowden
April 3, 2022
Sincere condolences to the family and friends of John. He was one of the most honest and trustworthy people I´ve ever met and he will truly be missed, but not forgotten. May he rest in comfort and peace
Sally
April 2, 2022
Rest now, friend Jack.
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