James "Jay" Armour Ward Jr. LTC

He was the beloved husband of Judith (Judi) for 41 years and the loving dad of Jennifer (Brett Sterly) Ward and Jamie (Edmund) White. Jay cherished his dogs Mannheim and Muffin and was proud of his granddogs Maui and Robey. He was the little brother of Tressa Burnett and uncle to Chris "Bird" (Dion), Tim (Yvette), Deena, and Susan (Frank). He was the brother-in-law of Ronald (Marie) Seeger, LeRoy (Carolyn) Seeger, and the late Joanne Haebich and uncle to Ronnie (Jackie), Cheri (Jeff), Jill (Mike), Ryan, Beth, and Sara (Gregory). He was the great uncle of Ashley (Mark), Emily (Dan), and Brady.

Jay was Sooner born November 3, 1945, to Louise and Armour Ward and Sooner bred in Norman, Oklahoma. He spent his early years in Venezuela, where his father worked for an oil company. They returned to Norman in the late 1940s and he spent his childhood pressing pennies on the railroad tracks behind his house on Maple Lane, and was an active member of the Boy Scouts. His summers were spent at the Rocky Mountain Biological Research Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, where his mother was in charge of dining services. In high school, he played handball and basketball, winning the state championship in 1963. Jay began attending the University of Oklahoma in 1964, initially majoring in pool before getting his act together and changing his focus to political science. While at OU, he joined ROTC which led to his joining the army in 1968. Jay joined as a Second Lieutenant and served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970, where he commanded tanks in the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry (part of the 1st Infantry Division, the "Big Red One") and the 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (the Blackhorse Regiment). While serving, he met lifelong brothers-in-arms Jim Pitts, Carl "Skip" Bell, Tim O’Brien, Bob Klinkerman, and countless others. He was wounded and was awarded the Purple Heart. After Vietnam, he finished that degree in political science and was stationed in Fulda, Germany as a Captain. It was during this time in Fulda that he met Judi, a teacher with the Department of Defense Dependents Schools, in 1975. His next station was in Tallahassee, Florida, where he taught ROTC at Florida A & M University. He asked Judi to marry him on a road trip to New York and they were married in 1978. They welcomed their first daughter, Jennifer, while in Tallahassee. In 1980, orders came through to go back to Germany, where their second daughter, Jamie, was born. After returning stateside, he earned his MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1988. The family transferred to Gurnee, Illinois, where he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993 after his last assignment at USMEPCOM at Great Lakes. During his time in Gurnee, he completed all coursework towards his doctorate (ABD) in continuing adult education from NIU. After retiring from the army, he spent 12 years at the Cook Memorial Public Library as the network administrator, retiring in 2006. He had a natural interest in a broad range of subjects, particularly genealogy and military history. He spent countless hours with his sister in libraries, archives, county court houses, and churches digging into the histories of the Ward, O'Neil, and Seeger family lines. Several of his genealogy compilations were award winning in the State of Oklahoma. Jay was an avid birder, gardener, and cook. He always had a pair of binoculars in the car, ready to pull over during migratory season to watch the birds, ducks, and geese that came to the area. We will terribly miss his sense of mischievous humor, quick wit, and gentle spirit.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, January 29, 2020 from 10 AM to 2 PM at Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N. Cemetery Rd, Gurnee. The funeral service will begin at 2 PM at the funeral home. Interment will be private at West Lawn Memorial Park in Racine.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the Rocky Mountain Biological Research Institute, https://www.rmbl.org/donations/ .