Julia Fran Frances Ward

JULIA FRANCES WARD (Age 89). Julia Frances Ward, beloved wife of Ralph V. Ward, passed away at home on August 26th. “Fran” was born in Washington, D.C. on March 12th, 1925. As the eighth of eleven children of Irish-born parents, John and Mary Ellen Murphy, her official birthdate was March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. Frances was raised in St. Joseph’s Catholic parish on Capitol Hill and attended Immaculate Conception high school. Although she and her husband both attended St. Joseph’s elementary school and parish, they first met on a double date, after which they decided they preferred each other to their original dates. Frances and Ralph wed on November 8, 1952, and were happily married for 61 years. Organized and efficient, Frances completed a two-year business program after high school and from the 1970s to the 1990s she kept books for her husband’s consulting business. Frances was a devoted mother and grandmother, remained close to her extended family, hosted large neighborhood and family gatherings, and was known to quietly help friends and family in need. For 48 years Frances was an active member of Saint Luke Catholic Church in McLean, Virginia and sang in the church choir for many years. She loved summers at Bethany Beach, and in her 40s Frances became a devoted and fierce tennis player, playing doubles well into her 70s. She and her husband loved to read the Washington Post every morning and discuss politics. During both Clinton administrations Frances was a weekly volunteer at the White House.

She leaves behind her husband, Ralph V. Ward, three children, Michael Ward, Stephen Ward, and Karen Ward Mahar, four grandchildren who knew her as “Nana,” Matthew Ward, Rachel Ward, Lisa Ward, and Sean Marie Mahar, and three sisters, Catherine Murphy, Sara McMahon, and Rosemary Zugel.

Services will be held on Saturday, August 30th, at Saint Luke Catholic Church, 7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean, Virginia.

Visitation will take place at 10:00 a.m., and the Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11:00 a.m.

Arrangements under the direction of Murphy Falls Church Funeral Home, Falls Church, Virginia.