Johnny James Ward, 69, of LeFlore, OK passed away January 15, 2011, in Ft. Smith, AR. John was born October 20, 1941 in LeFlore, OK to Robert Lee Sr. & Lucy Amanda (French) Ward. John taught school, coached & was principal for 30 years. During those years in education, he worked at Albion, LeFlore, Whitesboro, & Wister Schools. After retirement from public education he was assistant baseball coach at Carl Albert State College for 8 years. He began driving a charter bus for Lets Go Charters & enjoyed meeting new friends & going new places. The last year& a half he spent raising cattle. John was preceded in death by one son, John Alan Ward; his parents; sisters, Joan Bontley & Virginia Gibbs; brothers, Robert Ward Jr., Jerry Ward & Allen Walters. John was a member of the LeFlore Baptist Church; OSSAA; The Baptist General Convention Disaster Relief, Thumbbusters for Christ; LeFlore Cemetery Association; retired teacher/coach; retired driver for Lets Go Charters; Rancher. John was active in many organizations helping young people & those in need. In his involvement with BGCO disaster relief, he assisted with tsunami efforts in Thailand, fires in Arizona, floods in Iowa, & hurricanes in the Gulf. He will be greatly missed. Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Edith Sue (Welch) Ward of the home; daughter & son in law, Susan & James Cantwell of Poteau, OK, son, Anthony Ward of Kyle, TX, Grandsons, Michael & Matthew Cantwell of Poteau, OK, Spencer Ward of San Antonio, TX; great granddaughter, Adrianna Gist-Cantwell, brother, Bill & Shirley Ward of LeFlore, OK, sister, Elizabeth Kitchens of Talihina, OK, Daughter in law, Tammy Ward of San Antonio, TX, Mother in law, Imogene Welch, sisters in law, Claudette Hamner, Brenda & Jackie Sweeten; several nieces, nephews, other relatives & loved ones; many beloved friends, and brothers & sisters in Christ. Services will be held 2 pm, Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at LeFlore High School Gym with Rev. Leroy Orr officiating. Interment will follow in LeFlore Cemetery. Pallbearers will be John McAlester, Gary Gibson, Mark Warren, Bryan Warren and Ronnie Henderson, Sam Ward & Dallas Ward.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Johnny James Ward
Johnny James Ward, 69, of LeFlore, OK passed away January 15, 2011, in Ft. Smith, AR. John was born October 20, 1941 in LeFlore, OK to Robert Lee Sr. & Lucy Amanda (French) Ward. John taught school, coached & was principal for 30 years. During those years in education, he worked at Albion, LeFlore, Whitesboro, & Wister Schools. After retirement from public education he was assistant baseball coach at Carl Albert State College for 8 years. He began driving a charter bus for Lets Go Charters & enjoyed meeting new friends & going new places. The last year& a half he spent raising cattle. John was preceded in death by one son, John Alan Ward; his parents; sisters, Joan Bontley & Virginia Gibbs; brothers, Robert Ward Jr., Jerry Ward & Allen Walters. John was a member of the LeFlore Baptist Church; OSSAA; The Baptist General Convention Disaster Relief, Thumbbusters for Christ; LeFlore Cemetery Association; retired teacher/coach; retired driver for Lets Go Charters; Rancher. John was active in many organizations helping young people & those in need. In his involvement with BGCO disaster relief, he assisted with tsunami efforts in Thailand, fires in Arizona, floods in Iowa, & hurricanes in the Gulf. He will be greatly missed. Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Edith Sue (Welch) Ward of the home; daughter & son in law, Susan & James Cantwell of Poteau, OK, son, Anthony Ward of Kyle, TX, Grandsons, Michael & Matthew Cantwell of Poteau, OK, Spencer Ward of San Antonio, TX; great granddaughter, Adrianna Gist-Cantwell, brother, Bill & Shirley Ward of LeFlore, OK, sister, Elizabeth Kitchens of Talihina, OK, Daughter in law, Tammy Ward of San Antonio, TX, Mother in law, Imogene Welch, sisters in law, Claudette Hamner, Brenda & Jackie Sweeten; several nieces, nephews, other relatives & loved ones; many beloved friends, and brothers & sisters in Christ. Services will be held 2 pm, Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at LeFlore High School Gym with Rev. Leroy Orr officiating. Interment will follow in LeFlore Cemetery. Pallbearers will be John McAlester, Gary Gibson, Mark Warren, Bryan Warren and Ronnie Henderson, Sam Ward & Dallas Ward.
My husband and I both attended CASC. Brandon played for Coach Ward and we both have such great memories of him. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.
ReplyDeleteBrandon and D'Ray Beauchamp
Edith, I grew up hearing stories of the great John Ward, especially of what a great coach and mentor he was. Of course, I heard these stories from my father, Cecil Williams (Class of 69), who played ball for John at LHS. The stories he tells always reflect the immense respect and fondness that he holds for John. Jimmy and I have long been associated with your family, and our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of loss.
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Jimmy & Amy Williams-Donathan
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Ward family. Mr. Ward was a mentor, friend, teacher, neighbor and one of the best person to have been in my life. "Johnny" you will be missed. Thank you for all the good things you done in your life and for all the lives you touched. You are loved.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments about Johnny. If I didn't believe there's a God, I may have wondered if my best friend, Johnny, may have hung the moon. He was some super guy which can't be replaced. Brandon, I remembered when you played for CASC--good memories; We've known Cecil all his life and known Amy, Jimmy and Debbie most of their life. Thanks for the call you made to Johnny last summer. It brightened the day for both of us.
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