Thomas Ward

Thomas Earl Ward, born April 4, 1928, in Kansas City, Missouri to John Earl Ward and Lenore Reynolds Ward, crossed over the Jordan at approximately 2:30 AM, January 21, 2015. At his passing, he was surrounded by his family. Tom was a long time resident of Bartlesville, graduating from College High School in 1946. He enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after graduation, serving in both the Army and the newly formed United States Air Force. He served at the Presidio of San Francisco, but his most memorable assignments were at Fort Richardson and Fort Wainwright, Alaska. His military specialty was in finance. Upon completion of enlistment, he returned to Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University), studying botany and horticulture. He was a lifetime fan of the Cowboys. His pursuit of a college degree was interrupted when he returned to Bartlesville, and began running his mother's flower shop at 313 E. Frank Phillips Boulevard. Through Tom Ward Florist he provided countless corsages, Christmas wreaths, Easter lilies, Mother's Day bouquets, planned and coordinated beautiful weddings and receptions from that location and others, for the next thirty six years. He had a gift for artistic expression through flower arranging. During his years in the flower business, he served in several capacities in the Florist's Transworld Delivery (FTD) organization. An inveterate entrepreneur, he also operated several additional businesses in landscaping and nursery, and in food service, as restaurateur. Tom and his former wife, Mildred Ann (Pegge) Shippy, raised two children, Thomas Earl Ward II, and Lucinda Ann Ward in Bartlesville. After nearly 40 years in local business, Tom reinvented himself before the term became vogue, and became a manager of upscale resort destinations, such as the Ingleside Inn in Palm Springs, California, and the Turtle Island resort in the Fiji Islands. While in California in the 1990s, he married Shirley Dey (Nutter) Hourigan, also originally of Bartlesville. He and his wife returned to the area, first to Tulsa, then to Bartlesville in the early 2000s. He spent the last several years of his life at Heritage Villa in Bartlesville. Tom was also a church and civic leader, serving as an Elder at the First Presbyterian Church, in the Junior Chamber of Commerce, and in Kiwanis. He was a lifelong Mason and eventually a Shriner. On the civic side, he served as a Bartlesville City Councilman and for several years as vice-mayor. Tom is survived by his wife, Shirley, his two children, Thomas II and Lucinda Ann, and his step-son, John Hourigan. Through his children he counts six grandchildren: Duane Wilkinson, Daron Wilkinson, Frances Honeycutt, Thomas Ward III, Thomas Klevecz, and Kevin Klevecz; and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Robert and step-son Jerry N. Hourigan.

Service Details

Saturday, January 24th, 2015 2:00pm, Arnold Moore & Neekamp Funeral Home