Francis "Skip" Ward, Jr. (83) passed away peacefully on Friday, October 16, 2015, at home in Lusby, MD. Born December 27, 1931 in Washington, DC, he was the son of the late Francis Nash Ward, Sr. and Ellen Louise King.  

Skip was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 33 years, Barbara Jean Ward and is survived by his children, Connie Wallach and James Ward, Sr.; stepchildren, Barbara Shewbridge, Marla Miller, Patricia Hilton, Marsha Turner, Lisa Winegardner, and Sara DiRienzo; 4 Siblings; 20 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. 

Throughout his life, Skip was often referred to as the gentle giant. A kind and humble man who was respected and loved by all who knew him. He loved his family, friends, and baseball and much of his spare time was spent rooting for his home team, the Washington Nationals. 
 
He was a veteran of the United States Army National Guard and a life member at both Clinton and Silver Hill Volunteer Fire Departments (VFD) in Prince George's County, MD. During his 50+ years as a devoted member of Clinton VFD, he held numerous positions that were vital to the department, some of which include President, Vice President, Treasurer and various others. He was essential in overseeing the department's daily operations and much of their success and achievements are attributed to his commitment, dedication and leadership.
 
Skip's Federal career began in 1963 with the Government Printing Office (GPO) as a Pressman.   He spent the majority of his 30+ year tenure as a Pressman on the midnight shift and was extremely proud of his work and the career he led.  In 1992 he retired to the waterfront community of Mears Creek in Lusby where he and Jean resided since 1991.  They shared a passion for the water and loved being out on their boat crabbing and fishing. They were greatly involved in their community and established friendships with many of their Mears Creek neighbors.
 
Family, friends, and others whose lives Skip touched are invited to the Stallings-Williams American Legion Post 206, 3330 Chesapeake Beach Road, Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732, on Wednesday, October 28th for a visitation from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. with a Memorial Service at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow in MD Veterans Cemetery, Cheltenham, MD at 1:00 pm.  

Contributions may be made to Clinton Volunteer Fire Department, Inc., 9025 Woodyard Road, Clinton MD 20735,  http://www.clintonvfd.org, The Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka KS 66675,  http://woundedwarriorproject.org  or Calvert County Hospice, P.O. Box 838 238 Merrimac Court, Prince Frederick MD 20678, http://calverthospice.org. Arrangements provided by Rausch Funeral Home, P.A., Lusby, MD.