Steven E. Ward

Steven Eric Ward, 73, of West Roxbury, MA, died peacefully at home on January 19, 2022 following a courageous battle with the rare condition of amyloidosis. Steve was born in Dorchester, MA to his parents, the late Albert & Lillian Ward. For 48 years, Steve was the loving husband of Patricia Rogers and a devoted father to his daughter, Barrett Ellis & her husband Jason and grandfather of Ophelia. Brother of Robert Ward & his wife Louise, and Bruce Ward, brother-in-law of Trudy Sykes & her husband Gary, Nancy Rogers & her husband Michael Delay, Megan Miller & her husband Lin. Many beloved nephews, nieces, and other relatives also survive him.

Steve was an Honors student at Newton South High School and played three sports. As a scholar/athlete, he received the Varsity Club award and at Amherst College, he found a new passion on the crew team. In 1977, Steve received his Masters degree in History from Wesleyan University.

After teaching at Avon Old Farms School, CT for three years, Steve spent the remaining thirty-eight years of his career at the Roxbury Latin School teaching history and coaching baseball, football, and wrestling. He received much acclaim for his coaching of the Varsity Wrestling team and in 2009, he was inducted into the Massachusetts chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 1999, he was honored with the A. Kenneth Scribner Professor of History Emeritus chair.

Steve found his calling for teaching early in life and his passion for educating and mentoring never wavered. An inspiring teacher and coach, Steve possessed a unique ability to connect with his students on many levels. His connection to history took him to every corner of the globe. He fervently believed that in order to know the history, “you have to walk the land.”

Steve was an accomplished athlete and sports fan. He ran twelve Boston Marathons with a personal best time of 2:42. A life-long suffering Boston Red Sox fan, he was thrilled to see his team finally win three World Series.

He also had an enthusiasm for music, with eclectic tastes ranging from opera to classical to his latest passion, singer-songwriter, Iris DeMent.

In his retirement, Steve began writing a memoir - a collection of short essays about the students and faculty members he encountered along the way. He was beginning to record these stories for Roxbury Latin.

What Steve cherished above all was his “three girls”; Pat, Barrett and nine year old Ophelia. Nothing brought him more joy than being with Ophelia, who adored him, her “Yee Yee”.

Steve's family is most appreciative to the Roxbury Latin community for the many letters he received in the final days of his life. There is no more fitting tribute to Steve’s commitment to teaching than the words of his students, many of them wrote of Steve’s generosity of spirit by “letting them be who they are”. Students and colleagues also commented on Steve’s sense of humor and, above all, his love of teaching. His credo was, “teaching boys history, rather than teaching history to boys.” He will be missed by many.

Due to the current health crisis, funeral services are private. An event celebrating Steve’s life and accomplishments will be held at the Roxbury Latin School in the future.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Steven E. Ward Chair in History, Roxbury Latin School, 101 St. Theresa Ave., West Roxbury, MA 02132, or The Epiphany School, 154 Centre St., Dorchester, MA 02124.