Colonel M.H. Ward

Col. Marion Haggard Ward died peacefully in his sleep at Southminster Retirement Community on September 1, 2018 after a very short illness. Moe, as he was affectionately known by all, was born April 3, 1924 in Atlanta to Robert Paul Ward Sr. and Sarah Haggard Ward. He was predeceased by the love of his life, Shirley Tison Ward, his parents, his brother, Robert Paul Ward Jr., and his brother-in-law and best friend, Benjamin Thompson Tison III.

At the age of 12, Moe’s family moved to Charlotte where he attended public schools, ultimately graduating from Central High in 1941. At the age of eighteen, he joined the Army Air Force in 1942 as an aviation cadet and by June 1944, he was a qualified navigator on his way to England with a B-17 crew. On July 31, 1944, then Second Lieutenant Ward and his crew were flying their initial mission when he qualified for what is known as the “Caterpillar Club.” He and the rest of his crew of the “Lovely Lady” were taking part in a bombing raid over Munich. Two minutes before they reached bombs away, the plane received a direct hit and Moe was blown out of his aircraft. In later years, he described that life changing instant as, “At one moment everything is as it should be, at the next everything has happened seemingly all at once, from which there will never be a going back. At one point it is, at the next it simply isn’t.” He spent twenty-five minutes floating Earthward with the help of a silk parachute while Allied bombers continued to deliver a devastating payload from above and German ground crews provided intense anti-aircraft flak from below. Amazingly, he eventually made it to the ground safely, where he was captured and spent the remaining nine months of the war as a POW at Stalag Luft I at Barth.

Returning home, Moe left active duty to pursue his education and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1949. There he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. The night before leaving for college, he met, on a blind date on Christmas Night 1945, the love of his life and wife of nearly 62 years, Shirley Jean Tison. He spent the remainder of his college career commuting home on the weekends to court his “Darling.” After their graduations, Moe and Shirley were married on September 17, 1949.

Moe returned to active duty in 1950 to resume his Air Force career, serving as Navigator on B-29 missions over North Korea. He spent the next 23 years in uniformed service, eventually rising to the rank of Colonel. During the remainder of his active service, Moe held varied assignments of increasing responsibility, including Executive Aide to the Commander-in-Chief of Strategic Air Command, Action Officer in the Pentagon, Director of Air Refueling operations in Vietnam, and Commandant of the Air Force Academic Instructors and Allied Officers School and the 8th Air Force NCO Academy. Among his 28 decorations, awards, and service medals authorized at the time of his retirement are the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross, and the Vietnamese Honor Medal.

While on active duty, he attended the Air Command and Staff College and earned a Master of Science Degree in Financial Administration from George Washington University.

Upon retirement from the Air Force in 1973, Moe, Shirley, and their seven-year-old daughter Tison returned to Charlotte where Moe became Executive Director of Dimensions for Charlotte-Mecklenburg, a three-year citizen participation program setting goals for the future. He also served on the Mecklenburg Bicentennial Committee and was a consultant to the US Bicentennial Commission for which he received a letter of commendation from President Gerald Ford.

Moe then joined the architectural-engineering firm of Odell Associates as a principal, directing marketing and public service activities. In addition to his duties at Odell, Moe was active in numerous civic, cultural, and social organizations, serving as President of the Mint Museum of Art, President of the Mercy Hospital Board of Visitors, Chairman of the Alexander Children’s Center Board, President of the Collector’s Circle, District Chairman of Boy Scouts, Board Member of Carmel Academy, Charlotte Country Day School, the Chamber of Commerce, and Central Charlotte Association, and chairman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Facilities Committee. Appointed by Governor James Hunt, he served 5 years on the Commission on Productivity.

His impact on and dedication to Charlotte was so great that John Belk, then the mayor of Charlotte, proclaimed him a “Knight of the Queen City” and tasked him with “furthering the fame of the City of Charlotte’s historical heritage; cultural and intellectual achievements; civic accomplishments; beautiful scenery and gracious southern living.”

At Covenant Presbyterian Church, Moe was President of the Men’s Club, Chairman of the Coordinating Committee, President of the Planning Board, Stewardship Chairman, and a Ruling Elder.

Social affiliations included membership in the Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte City Club, the Tower Club, the Nine O’Clocks Dance Club, the Army-Navy Club of Washington, and the North Carolina Societies of New York and Washington.

On January 1, 1990, after 48 years of a life in service to others, Moe exited public life and settled into a private life with his soul mate Shirley. Their dedication and devotion to one another was immeasurable and for nearly 22 years they spent every day together until her death on September 5, 2011. Their love for one another was the purest example possible and what we should all aspire to emulate.

To memorialize Shirley, Moe created the Shirley Tison Ward ’49 Presidential Scholarship at Queens University to encourage and support young students at Queens who show academic and leadership qualities in achieving their goals and to contribute to the abilities of our nation’s future leaders.

During the nearly eighteen years that he spent at Southminster, Moe served on the Religious Life committee from its inception until his passing. As part of his way to continuing serving, he conducted the monthly Service of Remembrance to memorialize those residents who had passed and insured that each person was properly honored. With a lifetime love of music and singing, Moe directed the Grackles, Southminster’s Men Choir, for years, helped start a weekly hymn sing, and led the hymns at the weekly Ecumenical Service and funerals throughout his time at Southminster. It was his joy to sing and bring a smile to others with song. His voice and song were so loved that he was dubbed, “The George Beverly Shea of Southminster.”

On April 3, 2014, Colonel Marion Haggard Ward was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor the governor of North Carolina can bestow upon an individual for exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. While the award was long overdue, he took special pride in the fact that it was his daughter and son-in-law who presented it to him at his 90th birthday celebration.

More than any of his other accomplishments, Moe was a family man, and his pride in his family surpassed any of his own achievements. He is survived by his daughter, Tison Carmack and her husband, Christopher Carmack, and two wonderful grandchildren, Christina, 29, and Benjamin, 21.

Southminster is noted for its exceptional Health Care operations and Moe’s family is eternally grateful for the tender, caring, and professional services provided by the Health Care staff.

A service commemorating Moe’s remarkable life will be held at Southminster Retirement Community on Saturday, September 8, 2018 at 11:00 AM. Friends will be received following the service. Interment with Full Military Honors will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Shirley Tison Ward ’49 Presidential Scholarship at Queens University of Charlotte, 1900 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28274 or to the Television Ministry at First Presbyterian Church, 200 West Trade Street, Charlotte, NC 28202.