Ward was born on October 4, 1928, in Seattle, Washington. He married on March 5, 1955, in Los Angeles, California. He had two children during his marriage. He died on September 24, 2006, in Sun City, California, at the age of 77.

Ward graduated from the University of Washington in 1950.He worked for Douglas Aircraft 1950-51 and was in the Army from 1951-53. After his tour in the Army, Ward worked for McDonald Douglas 1953-76 and 1990-95. He retired in 1999 from the aerospace industry. Ward jumped at Cave Junction during the 1948 season.