Bill Ward

NAPA - A generous, loyal, selfless and loving husband for 39 years. A supportive, inspiring and wise father. A dedicated grandfather who reveled in every moment with his three grandsons.

A kind and loving son. An encouraging and committed older brother. A friend who sustained numerous long-term friendships. An ethical and well-respected golf equipment salesman. A skilled and savvy athlete. Marvin F. “Bill” Ward, who fit all of these descriptions, went home to God, surrounded by his deeply devoted family, on June 24, 2009, at the age of 64, after waging a courageous two-and-a-half year fight with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). He is now teeing it up on the heavenly links with his beloved father, Bud Ward.

Golfing, hiking, traveling and cherishing time with his close-knit family, especially his three grandsons, filled Bill’s life with joy, energy and a plethora of beautiful memories. A champion on the golf course, Bill was a three-year varsity letterman on the University of Oregon’s golf team in the 1960s and the winner of 20 major tournaments at Napa Valley Country Club — easily the club record. Bill embraced the beauty of local, state and national parks, especially over the last decade of his life. He enjoyed numerous hikes in these parks, which he loved to describe in detail in numerous journals and he built a vast collection of breathtaking photos of nature and wild animals in their pristine state. Bill infused his love of animals and the outdoors into his eldest grandson, Drake Waters.

Born in Spokane, Wash., on Sept. 20, 1944, Mr. Ward was legally named after his father, the 1939 and ‘41 U.S. Amateur golf champion. Yet, he was nicknamed Bill after his father, Bud, returned from serving his country in World War II, and the nickname stuck.

A Junipero Serra High School (San Mateo) graduate in 1962, and an Oregon graduate in 1967, Bill made several lifelong friends as a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity while at Oregon.

Bill married his true companion, Kim Spurgeon, in 1970, and he enjoyed a highly successful career as a golf equipment salesman for nearly 25 years. He won national salesman of the year awards, helped outfit the ’49ers coaching staff in Etonic apparel in the 1980s, and impressed his clients with his fair and quick-witted approach to his job. A Napa resident since 1979, Bill was an avid tennis player, faithful ’49ers fan and passionate photographer.

After retiring in late 1999, Mr. Ward channeled his energy and meticulous nature into planning trips to numerous national parks throughout the Western United States and Canada. He was energized as his children, Kristen and Andrew, were married in 2002 and 2006. Bill’s gentle and loving side poured out upon his three grandsons, Drake and Logan Waters, and Peter Ward, over the past four years. He proudly adorned the walls of his Napa homes with professional-quality pictures of ocean, forest, waterfall, canyon and other spectacular outdoor vistas that he loved.

Bill waged an inspiring duel with ALS. Never giving up, despite the ravages of this debilitating disease, he and a wide circle of family and friends have raised nearly $40,000 since 2007 for the ALS Association, an organization that funds research and vital treatment for ALS patients. Bill displayed his amazing will and inner strength by mustering the courage to enjoy a picnic with his wife and several close friends at Bothe State Park in St. Helena in the last two weeks of his life.

Mr. Ward and his family would like to offer their deepest thanks and appreciation for his Kaiser Hospice nurses and doctors, and the Forbes Norris Clinic in San Francisco.

In lieu of flowers, the Ward family requests that donations be made in Bill Ward’s name to the ALS Association Greater Bay Area Chapter at 565 Commercial Street, Second Floor, San Francisco, CA (www.alsabayarea.org) or Kaiser Hospice Department, 975 Sereno Drive, Vallejo, CA 94589.

Mr. Ward is survived by a family bursting with love and pride for the way he lived his entire life, including his wife, Kim Ward; two children: Kristen Waters and Andrew Ward; son-in-law Deric Waters; daughter-in-law Meave Ward; his mother, Lois Ladley; his brother, Joe Ward; sister Val Ward and sister-in-law Carol Ward.

A funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, June 30, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Apollinaris Church, 3700 Lassen St., in Napa, with a reception to follow at the Napa Valley Country Club, 3385 Hagen Road.

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