Obituary of Edward J. Ward

EDWARD JOSEPH WARD 3/12/30 -7/19/2025 Edward Joseph Ward son, brother, musician, runner, uncle, Airman /USAF, husband, father, teacher, grandfather and great grandfather of 95 years has gone to heaven to be with his bride of 73 years, Palma Mancini Ward predeceased in 2018. Also predeceased are his parents Edward Paul Ward (1891-1966) and Marie Louise Dockerty Ward (1893-1975) and siblings Marie Agnes, Jeanne Cecelia, John/Jack, Rose Elizabeth, Alice Yvonne, Helen Teresa, Raymond and Vincent. Edward also lost his comparable whistling, look-a-like Irish/Italian daughter, Kelly Marie in 2005. Edward nicknamed "Sonny" was an entertainer at the very young age of 13 playing his saxophone and big base along with his engineer/ musician father before entering "gigs" with much older band members in the 1940's. As a 1947 Graduate of Kingston High School he also took up running, cross country and track similar to his father who had run in the very popular Penn Races. Sonny went on to set records in track and cross country, owning to this day, the Kingston High school cross country course record. While being an accomplished sax player and eventually base player he was continually offered musical jobs throughout his young life eventually playing with the Dan McNeil Band and the Cosimos in the early 50's. According to his mother "all the Ward children were to select and attend either Ithaca College or Cortland State." While the oldest three went to Ithaca for Music degrees the next youngest participants headed to Cortland State for teaching degrees. Ed was singing and playing in several bands when he met his future wife, Polly Mancini, who would soon after write in her senior yearbook that her dream was to "marry a sax player!" The two graduated from Cortland State and Cortland High School, respectively, the spring of 1952, considered elopement, thought better of that, and eventually married December 27, 1952 with their parents and siblings present at the Cortland Hotel. In 1953 Edward enlisted in the US Air Force where he was stationed at Sampson Air Base, Wyoming. On the recommendation of the McNeil Brothers and the Cosimo Brothers, Eddie would audition and be accepted into the Air Force Band. Ed and Polly would have a son, Edward Paul (Father Gabriel Ward) while stationed in Wyoming. Soon after his 4 year stint and honorable discharge the three were off to Kingston, NY, Troy NY, where Kelly Marie was born and Eddie was teaching and playing. He got into selling foreign cars making a lifelong study of vehicles his greatest trivial pursuit. The man is a legendary "professor" of the history of cars and manufacturers reciting literally any vehicle in sight. Right up until his untimely death, Ed could tell you the year, make and model of whatever was in view. Prior to the 80's, when he said cars got "stupid, uniform and boring," he had no interest left for the moderns and became an everyday Yankee Fan. By 1959 a trip out west to Colorado to play in a military friend's band led to a short visit, a few gigs and a missed lane change. They were off to California where Edward would start teaching Special Education for a school in Modesto. "Special Ed" was missing the music business so decided to do some "sit-ins" at a local bar and was immediately recognized as a talent. He would meet his eventual "Best Friend" in Kent Grippenstraw . Dad became "Daddio" and was soon teaching, selling cars (most awesomely GTO's) playing in several bands, buying "the brown house" and having three more children to complete his band. John Clifton, 1960, Marykathleen, 1965 and Joseph Cornelius, 1967 were his west coast kids. While we all had the sunshine lives there was something missing for his bride. She missed her Italian family back in Cortland and being the "Genuine Deal" as a husband and father we were off to the Crown City in 1967. Loading up the car and truck, baby Joey in the trunk of the Volkswagen, the U-Haul was slated for Pearl St., a teaching job in Math at Parker School with the kids off to St. Mary's and Polly off to Cortland State for her Degree. Dad got us all into sports from tennis to ice skating to volleyball to swimming to football, baseball, golf, softball and basketball the man kept us in leather and sneaks. He broke records in running with Chuck Taylors and we sprained angles and ruined knees with the same gusto and brand. Edward never missed a kid's game throughout St. Mary's football and basketball and baseball,,, calling shots and giving commentary from his customary seat in the gym or view from the van. He talked cool, played it cool and got away with nicknames for us like Farmer, Lard, Deigo and Bones. He never coached but he was always a teacher of good times and music. To the hundreds of kids he taught at Parker School and other schools Ed Ward remembered all of you when prompted and was genuinely interested in all who learned just a little something from him. When we reached the high school, a good friend and fellow math teacher of his, Dick Russell, would say that he could always pick out a student from Parker who had Ed Ward for a teacher. He expected no less than understanding from all his kids and students. Fast forward 30 years and the couple have retired and are now visiting kids in Colorado, California, Texas, Italy, Germany , Korea, Florida, Virginia, Ohio and Connecticut. "Daddio" became "Big Daddy", Polly became "Nonni" and 5 kids on the road became 12 grand children and are all present. Surviving are Christopher, Michelle Antoinette (Jeff, Coraline & June), Michael John (Juliana), Guilia Romana, Daniel Romano, Grace Rose, Samuel Edward, Lindsay May, Marissa Kelly, Christina Rose, Sean Edward and Brennan Ray. The grand children have mostly grown and the siblings and aunts and uncles and parents have all passed leaving Eddie Joe the lone man standing. He envisioned making it to 100 years and would have if the Good Lord had not decided that his pain and suffering was enough...Even at 95 "Sonny" was still too young to leave us. May God's Heaven welcome your entertaining soul….. Family, friends and students may call on Mr. Edward Ward, on Wednesday July 30th from 2-4 pm at the Wright Beard Funeral Home. A Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul is slated for 4:30pm. Burial will take place at the St. Mary's Cemetery at 9:30 on Thursday morning the 31st. May God Bless all of those who knew Dad and asked about him often! To offer condolences online visit, www.wright-beard.com