Ward, 65, died September 1, 1982, and is buried in the Mount Idaho Cemetery near Grangeville. He was born November 1, 1917, in Grangeville, Idaho, attended two year of high school participating in athletic sports instructing and officiating
Ward, at age 23, was a member of the second smokejumper class in history that trained in 1941 with a fire jump on the Knoll Fire, Bitterroot NF. Ward enlisted in the Army in 1942 in Tacoma, Washington, and served with the 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion until January 1945. The 551st was disbanded and he was transferred to the 82nd Airborne Division. He was discharged as a Sergeant.
Ward was a career farmer in the Grangeville, ID area.