John Raymond Ward Sr (1934 - 2017)

Born 14 Nov 1934 in Baltimore City, Maryland, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Mildred Deanna (Goddard) Ward — married 27 Jun 1959 in Baltimore City, Maryland, USA

Descendants

Died 19 Mar 2017 at age 82 in Baltimore City, Maryland, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Raymond Howard [send private message]

Biography

John was born in 1934. He passed away in 2017.

John Raymond Ward Sr was born on 11/14/1934 in Baltimore City, Maryland, to John Settle Ward and Anna Margaret Ward. He had 6 brothers and 5 sisters: William Norman Ward, Anna Elizabeth Ward, Marie Elizabeth Ward, Catherine Dorothy Ward, George Franklin Ward, named after his grandfather, George Franklin Ward, Elizabeth Matilda Ward, Joseph Edward Ward Sr, Charles Ward, Edward Ward, Lawrence Ward, Sylvia Ward, and an infant unknown infant unknown Ward who was born about 1917, and died either at birth, or a short time later.

Coming from a large family in those days required some of the male children to quit school, get a job, and help the family with finances. John quit school in the 3rd grade, and this 9 or 10 year old, got menial task labor jobs such as selling newspapers on the street. Because of this dedication to his family, he was illiterate for most of his life. This did not stop him from working hard to support his immediate and extended families.

Through conversations with Mildred "Milly" Deanna Goddard about how they began dating: John was a roller skating enthusiast, and was at the local roller rink weekly every Saturday. He was at one time in training for the Roller Derby which was a popular entertainment venue at the time with teams skating and "play fighting", kind of like wrestling on skates. Milly had taken notice of John at the roller skating rink for several weeks. She was so smitten with him, she begged her close cousin, William "Billy" Meredith, to convince John to skate with her. Although Billy disliked John, he considered him a showboat and showoff, he acquiesced, and convinced John to skate with his cousin. Milly was a beautiful young lady, and John added to the conversation there was "very little convincing" needed as he had also taken notice of Milly during those weeks. They made plans to have a date the next week at the roller rink. When John suggested they meet at the rink, Milly declined that offer and told him, in no uncertain terms, that he would pick her up at her house in Westport, Baltimore City, Maryland, and they would go to the rink together. John was a notable "playboy" for the time, and nearly every week had a date, so Milly was already aware of his plans to meet the girl at the rink and go "Dutch". She was having none of that. They had the date, and the rest was history.

On 6/27/1959 John married Mildred Deanna Goddard. The wedding ceremony took place at St. Martin's Roman Catholic Church at 31 North Fulton Ave in Baltimore City's westside.

John and Mildred lived in the Southwest area of Baltimore City known to the inhabitants as "Pigtowne". They had 4 children: Deanna Anne Ward, Teresa Lynne Ward, John Raymond Ward Jr, and Wendy Michelle Ward.

John continued to work hard for his family, mainly as a manual laborer, where he was almost always in some form of employment that had him working in the harshest of elements.

He was finally able to retire in 2000 after reaching the mandated retirement age of 65 which allowed him to collect on his governmental social security earnings. He never was in a position to achieve a pension at any of his employs, so this menial amount he and Milly lived on until their deaths.

They were able to move to church supported lower income apartment complex at 100 South Light St, on Baltimore's famous Inner Harbor. They were able to enjoy the amenities of the Harbor, and held 4th of July and New Year's Eve parties at their apartment. The view from their balcony afforded you some of the best observations of the goings on at the Harbor. They were there when the first Baltimore Grand Pre was held and the tracked route came right past their building.

Mildred passed away after a very short bout of undetected pancreatic cancer on 11/3/2011. She is interred at Maryland National Memorial Park in Laurel, Prince George's County, Maryland.

After the passing of his wife, John diligently went about the task of getting an education by learning how to read and write. A promise he made to his dying wife.

On 3/19/2017 John passed away at his home on Light St, after suffering from multiple ailments which initiated at a New Year's Eve 2016 celebration at his apartment. He is buried with his wife at Maryland National Memorial Park.

This information is submitted by his son-in law, Raymond Howard, and is from personal knowledge, personal conversations, and Ancestry research.

^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Personal recollection of events witnessed by Raymond Howard 1st as remembered 8 Jan 2021.