Obituary of Thomas Raymond Ward

Thomas (Tom) Raymond Ward, age 91, passed away peacefully on July 21, 2023 at the Webster Comfort Care Home in Webster, NY, surrounded by the love of his family. A devoted father, uncle, cousin and friend, Tom was a gifted writer and communicator who had a distinguished career, first as a sportswriter for the Rochester Times Union newspaper and then for 30 years at the Eastman Kodak Company. Starting in Kodak’s advertising and marketing division and ending his career with a decade-long stint as the head corporate speech writer for the Office of the Chief Executive, he was a master craftsman who made a lasting impression at the highest levels of the company. Tom was born on July 7, 1932, in Pittsford, NY. He was a fifth generation Rochesterian (his great grandfather George Candee Buell was a distinguished citizen of the city for half a century), as well as the eldest child of Thomas Ward and Jane Buell Ward and a responsible older brother to Henry Ward and Jane Ward Cowdery. His grandparents were Henry and Cornelia Robinson Buell, and U.S. Army Colonel Phillip and Kate Lyons Ward. Tom grew up during the challenging Great Depression and WWII years, but made many happy memories with his family at their home on Stoneleigh Court and with his extended Buell family during the summers at his maternal grandparents’ lake house on Lake Ontario, Westward Ho. He graduated from Phillips (Andover) Academy in 1951, received a B.A. in History from Williams College in 1955 and then proudly served for 3 years in the U.S. Army in the Big Red One, most notably as a staff writer for the Fort Riley, Kansas weekly base newspaper. Tom married in 1960, and 4 children (2 sons and 2 daughters) followed. After a successful and meaningful career at Kodak, in his retirement he was able to devote himself to the perfect blend of his love of history and writing. Tom researched and wrote thorough family histories on both his mother’s side (the Buells) and his father’s side (the Wards). Both families were distinguished in different ways and one of his lasting gifts to his extended family was bringing their ancestry to life. Tom loved to shed light on “the dash” - the meaningful and colorful events that happened between someone’s birth date and the date of their death. Along with being a life-long student of history, Tom was also a devoted sports enthusiast and fan. He not only passed on his love of sports knowledge to his children, but was often on the baseball diamond helping them with batting practice, or on the tennis court chasing down their serves. Whether it was making the day of his neighbor or postal carrier with small acts of generosity, Tom was always thinking of the other first, and nowhere was that most true in his love for his 4 children. His legacy lives on in them: Thomas Ward, Katherine Ward Eaddy (Bob), Robert Ward (Lee), and Laura Ward Collins (Michael); as well as in his grandchildren: Kasey Goodyear, Taryn Ward, Jane Eaddy, Samuel Eaddy, Weldon Eaddy, Alexander Ward, Madeleine Ward, Olivia Ward and Scarlett Collins. He was predeceased by his grandson Peter Goodyear. In addition, he is survived by his former wife and the mother of his children, Judy; his sister-in-law, Margot, and numerous loving cousins, nephews and nieces including Connie Ward Ash, a devoted caretaker for him at the end of his life. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2023, at 11:00am, at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsford, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Tom’s honor be sent to the Webster Comfort Care Home (https://www.webstercomfortcare.org/donations.php), or Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 20 (https://www.vva20.org/donations.php).