William F. Ward

William F. Ward, 69, of Toms River, formerly of Verona and Fairfield, died on December 25th. Born in East Orange, he and his family moved frequently while his father was in the Air Force. Growing up, he lived in New York, New Hampshire, Alaska and Massachusetts, before settling in Verona, New Jersey where he lived for 15 years before moving to Fairfield.

He began a career in banking by starting work as a teller at Montclair Trust in 1960, eventually going on to become an officer in the bank. During his 40 year career, he held executive positions in commercial lending and loan review at First Union Bank and Horizon Bancorp until his retirement from Wachovia in 1999. Upon retirement, he re-located to Toms River, NJ where he became an active member of the Silver Ridge Park Association, serving as the former association president and acting as a financial consultant for the last three years. He enjoyed ball room dancing and had an avid interest in World War II history. He will always be remembered for his wonderful sense of humor, his funny stories and wit.

He was pre-deceased by his wife, Barbara (Pisek) Ward and his mother Edna L. Fildes. He is survived by his daughters Laura Byrnes and her husband Richard of Neptune, and Denise Freda and her husband John of Cedar Grove. He is also survived by his grandchildren Gillian Byrnes, and Brian, David, and Adam Freda.

Visitation will be held at Quinn Hopping Funeral Home, 26 Mule Road, Toms River on Sunday, January 2nd from 1 to 4PM. Funeral service to take place at 4PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations to the “Be The Match Foundation” to support bone marrow transplant patients and their families would be appreciated (3001 Broadway St. NE, Ste. 601, Minneapolis, MN 55413-1753; www.bethematch.org).