June 23, 1940 – July 7, 2019
Walter Frederick Ward died peacefully at home on July 7 in San Antonio, surrounded by his large family after a brief illness. His death came less than a year after the death of his wife, Patricia Ann Hauser Ward. They had shared a life of more than 60 years together, and they both lost their lives to cancer.
A doting father, grandfather and great-grandfather, he had lived in San Antonio since 1978 when he and Pat, who met in confirmation class when they were 15 and 14 respectively, arrived with their three children, Beth, Dan and Diane, making this relaxed Texas city their home for more than 40 years.
Walter had completed his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin in 1964 and went on to earn his doctorate in Mammalian Physiology from Marquette University. After a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University, he spent five years from 1973 to 1978 in research at the Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania. He then accepted a faculty position in the Department of Physiology at the U.T. Health Science Center at San Antonio. He retired in 2013 as a full professor there after a successful scientific career at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies.
He and Pat had settled happily in San Antonio to raise their family and built deep friendships through his work, their church and their mutual interest in art and photography. Later, as empty nesters, they found endless joy in traveling abroad. His scientific work afforded great opportunity for foreign travel and they racked up the miles together, traveling to different African countries including South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Egypt, as well as across Europe many times. Given his Nordic heritage, the Scandinavian countries were also a frequent stop, as were countries in Eastern Europe and further afield, such as Mongolia, China and Tibet, and in South America. In the United States they made it to 47 of the 50 states.
Throughout his tenure at the Health Science Center, Walter was the paterfamilias of the department with students, postdocs, and even faculty, calling on him for advice, practical help and consolation on any number of issues and life problems. Often, he was there to provide support for extended periods and at considerable personal effort and time. The stories of his genuine caring endure and those he helped, along with their families and friends, shared them with gratitude and affection for years after the anguish of the time had passed.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Ann Hauser Ward, brother Gary Ward, and his parents Harry Hovey Ward and Hazel Gladys Ward Gould. He is survived by his brother Neil Ward and four step siblings, Nancy Gould Ruf, George Gould, Mike Gould and Connie Gould Depover, as well as 13 grandchildren: Cristina, John, Ashley, Kristopher, Alek, Alyssa, Alexis, Sophia, Mia, Zachary, Clayton, Cruz and Amri, in addition to five great-grandchildren: Caleb, Abigail, Logan, Trevor and Heidi.
There will be a memorial service to celebrate Walter’s life at the home of his and Pat’s longtime friend and colleague, Jim Nelson, in the fall, which will be announced at a later date.