William Frederick Ward

William Frederick “Fred” Ward was born August 10, 1925 to Isaac Huey and Berhardina Hendrickson Ward in Bagdad, Fl, and passed away on January 15, 2024 in Mobile, Al. He is preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Bertha (Birdie) Louise Ward, a brother Isaac Huey Ward Jr. and his sister, Evelyn Ward Williams. Affectionately known to everyone he met as just “Fred” not Mr. Ward, nor Dad, nor Grandpa, just Fred. Fred is survived by two sons, Bob (Myra), Mike L. (Sarah) of Mobile, four grandchildren Michael (Candice) of Baton Rouge, Mandee (Brooks) of Mobile, Tracey of Mobile and Phillip (Stacey) of Mobile, and seven great grandchildren and one niece Donna Ward of Virginia Beach, Va.

Fred’s father was a tugboat captain for a dredging company, so as a youngster they lived all along the Mississippi River. He told us many interesting stories about growing up and the many shenanigans he pulled on his Mama Eva. Fred was a Navy Veteran and served during World War II. He proudly wore his Veterans Cap. Many, many people stopped him to thank him for his service. Though he never saw combat he was an award-winning marksman and was trained as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate which was a gunner in the Navy in 1945. The Navy sent him to several bases from Oklahoma to Miami. He was honorably discharged in May of 1946. He settled in Mobile, Al., where he met and married Birdie in Sept. of 1947. He began working for the ICG railroad shortly thereafter. Several years later Fred started a television repair business and decided to make that a career until 1977 when he and his son Mike opened Ward’s Sporting Goods. Fred was an excellent accountant and understood how to run a business. He retired from the sporting goods business in 1988 and spent much of his time teaching his grandsons how to take care of their cars. He took a course at South Alabama on computers and understood how they worked and taught us all about what he had learned. He and Birdie enjoyed their retirement years until her passing in 1997. He will be laid to rest on Friday, Jan. 19 at Pine Crest Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 10 AM to 11 AM at Pine Crest with graveside service following. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alabama Chapter, 1 Metroplex Dr., Birmingham, Al., 35209, www.alz.org, or call 1-800-272-3900.