Brian Ward

He was so proud of his family and was the beloved father of Keith, Alan and Janice, and beloved grandfather to Kelly, Kiffin, Connor, Alex and Elizabeth. He was brother to Tony (deceased) (and proud uncle to Tony’s daughter, Dr. Sharon Robinson).

Brian was born in London, England, in 1929. Soon after WWII bombing began in 1939, thousands of children were evacuated from London to the relative safety of the countryside, often to stay with strangers. At the age of 9, Brian and his 5-year-old brother, Tony, were evacuated to the tiny village of Albury in Hertfordshire, to stay with two elderly ladies, where the boys did chores and slept on the floor in a loft. Brian loved the countryside and, among his duties, he especially loved tending to the horses. Towards the end of the war, Brian had begun a carpentry apprenticeship and he was sent back to London to help rebuild bombed out houses and other structures, including his old school. Brian had many, many stories from those times.

After the war, Brian met Vera through community “old-time” dancing lessons, and Vera eventually taught Brian the more “modern” ballroom dancing steps. The two were dating when Brian began his compulsory time in the British Army, serving in the Royal Irish Fusiliers, training in Northern Ireland, where his lifetime love of pipes and drums and traditional Irish music began, and then serving in occupied Germany. Brian continued his skilled carpentry as a shopfitter in and around London. Brian and Vera were married in 1953 and toured post-war Europe on Brian’s motorcycle. They had their first child in 1958 and, soon after, bought a house in Langley, Buckinghamshire. In 1968, Brian and Vera and their 3 young children emigrated to the United States after selling almost all of their possessions, keeping just what would fit in a handful of tea chests. They sailed on the cruise ship Statendam from Southampton, England, to the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, and eventually settled in Rhode Island. Brian first found work as a carpenter at a Paramount Restaurant Supply Corp. subsidiary, and soon worked his way up to account executive with Paramount. At his retirement, the company owner declared Brian was “the smartest guy in the company.”

Brian had such a love for music of many genres. He did not have opportunities to learn an instrument as a child during the war, but his children remember weekends when Brian would alternately play Gilbert and Sullivan, Johnny Cash, Vivaldi, Glenn Miller, and Beatles records, among so many others. When first in the United States, Brian worked a second job at Sears in the tool department at night, which allowed him, among other things, to afford musical instruments for his children (and a good stereo for himself).

In addition to his work life, Brian was a committed volunteer. Brian volunteered as an adult leader with the Boy Scouts of America, using one of his two weeks off each year to accompany the scouts to summer camp. Later, when Keith became a Coast Guard Officer, Brian got his U.S. citizenship and joined the U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, patrolling Narragansett Bay, RI, and doing hundreds of Courtesy Marine Examinations (CMEs) of local vessels. After retiring and moving to Viera, FL, Brian transferred to local Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 17-2, continuing his CME duties, patrolling local waters and enforcing Coast Guard Security Zones for space shuttle launches. Brian was also especially proud of his volunteer work caring for horses at Harmony Farms, the non-profit equine assisted therapy facility.

Just a few weeks ago, on October 24, Brian and Vera celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. That weekend, over 60 family and friends, from many stages of their lives together, gathered to celebrate Brian and Vera. We are all so thankful to have had that last celebration together just a few weeks ago, and Brian was still smiling and talking about it to the end.

A gathering of family and friends for Brian will be held Friday, December 1, 2023 at 2:30 PM at The Life Event Center at Florida Memorial, 5950 South U.S. Hwy 1, Rockledge, FL, followed by a celebration of life at 3:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that you make a donation to Harmony Farms in honor of Brian's memory.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.FloridaMemorialFH-Gardens.com for the Ward family.