Hugh Allen Ward

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Norma (Snethen) Ward of the home; Five children: Bill Ward and his wife Rhonda of Dodge City KS, Mary Jones and her husband Arthur of Grandview MO, Nancy Sylvester and her husband Eric of Freeman MO, Howard Ward and his wife Lisa of Peculiar MO, James Ward and his wife Denise of Louisburg KS; 21 grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; his 2 sisters, Carolyn Percell of Bethany, MO and Marjorie Percell of Knoxville, TN and many, many close friends.

Allen was born to Basil Allen Ward and Edra Phylena (Beeks) Ward on January 19th, 1930 in Eagleville Missouri. His early years were spent on a series of rented farms in and around Eagleville during the height of the depression. Two sisters Caroline and Marjorie were added to the family. His father, Basil, became a Ford mechanic and the family settled in Lamoni, Iowa.

After graduating from High School in 1947 in Eagleville MO, he immediately went down to the Harrison County Court house, took the teaching exam and received his teaching certificate. That September he taught in a one room school house west of Eagleville. He continued teaching until he joined the Navy in 1950. He took leave in June of 1951 and returned to Lamoni, to wed a girl he met at the Bonnet School House Box Supper, Norma Juanita Snethen. This union was truly graced by God over these 65 years.

After his enlistment Allen used the GI Bill to attend and graduate form Northeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. He then became a bi-vocational pastor and high school teacher through a series of job in central Missouri. In 1961 Allen settled his growing family in Grandview, Missouri and taught at Grandview High School for twelve years. In 1969 Hugh took a yearlong sabbatical from Grandview and earned his master’s degree in foreign language from the University of Arkansas. This degree involved him spending the summer in Spain taking classes at the University of Madrid.

During the summers he moonlighted as a taxi driver, encyclopedia salesman, house painter, TV repairman, and ice cream truck driver. In the early 70s he took a hiatus from teaching and worked as a mail sorter for the US Postal Service and as a sales tax auditor for the state of Missouri. However his first love was teaching and education. He returned to that vocation as an administrator after completing his Educational Specialists degree at Central Missouri State University. He worked in the Tuscumbia, High Point school districts as a principal, moving on to the Holden school district from which he retired in 1988.

Hugh was an avid philatelist (stamp collector), had a passion for fishing but the thing he enjoyed most was people. He enjoyed the people at First United Methodist and hope house charity of Holden, at family-gatherings, family reunions, the Optimist Club, the Rotary Club, the American Legion and the Boy Scouts. Always ready to discuss the social maladies of the day, even those taboo items called religion and politics. He never backed down from a healthy conversation about either, no matter how lively the debate got and was known for taking the opposing view just to see if you could defend your position. He loved conversing in Spanish with anyone that would respond. He went on many mission trips to Mexico and was a Johnson County Missouri judicial system interpreter on many occasions.

His true source of pride was and will always be his family. Visitation, Tuesday, July 26, 2016 from 5-7pm at McGilley & George Funeral Home 12913 Grandview Rd. Grandview, MO; Funeral Service, Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at the First United Methodist Church 605 E. 10th St. Holden, MO; Burial, July 27, 3pm at Allen Cemetery, Eagleville, MO. All Memorial Contributions are suggested to First United Methodist Church 605 E. 10th St. Holden, MO 64040 or Kansas City Hospice. Condolences for the family may be left at www.mcgilleygeorgegrandview.com Arrangements under the direction of McGilley & George Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Grandview, MO. 816-966-0250