05/01/2022
V. Wayne Ward loved his family, helping others, and baseball; at 71, he passed away at his home in Keller on Friday, February 25, 2022.
The son of Virgil and Louella (McCollum) Ward, Wayne was born in Denton, Texas on October 2, 1950. He graduated as salutatorian of Sanger High School’s 32-member class of 1969 and went on to further his education at North Texas State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in history, and then at Southern Methodist University, where he obtained both a Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration.
For over thirty years, Wayne helped hundreds of families across north Texas in his role as a Family Law attorney; he managed his own practice based at the historic Trinity Plantation Building in downtown Fort Worth. Throughout his career, Wayne’s kindness and integrity earned him the respect and esteem of his colleagues, as well as numerous professional accolades, including the President’s Award of Outstanding Achievement from the Tarrant County Bar Association and the Eva Barnes Award from the Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association. He was also awarded the highest rating given—AV Preeminent—by Martindale-Hubbell for Family Law attorneys; the Fort Worth Business Press cited Wayne as an Attorney of Excellence in Family Law; and Wayne was named to the “Texas Super Lawyers” list for the years 2003-2006 and 2009-2018, which is awarded by Thomson Reuters Lawyer rating services, and published in Texas Monthly magazine.
An outstanding contributor to his local legal community, Wayne was a member and former president of the Tarrant County Bar Association and former president of the Tarrant County Family Bar Association, where he also served on the Board of Directors for more than 20 years. He earned the Texas Bar Foundation Life Fellow and Fellow of the College of the State Bar of Texas. Wayne shared his passion for helping others through legal advocacy in his role as adjunct professor at Texas Woman’s University as well as other ad hoc lectures on all aspects of family law.
As a proud and loving father, grandfather, and brother, Wayne cherished time with family. He was overjoyed to welcome two grandsons in recent years and anoint himself “BubbaPapi”, a role in which he could spoil them rotten. Decades earlier, Wayne spent Saturdays watching—and sometimes even coaching—his sons’ youth basketball, soccer, and baseball games, followed by multi-generational family gatherings on Sundays with him at the center. He also supported his sons at high school marching and concert band events, traveling all over Texas and beyond to cheer them on. Wayne actively volunteered in his sons’ communities, including in both the Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Keller public school systems and with the Boy Scouts of America; he also volunteered in various roles in the Ward family church communities, including at First United Methodist of Hurst and Keller United Methodist. Wayne was a loyal supporter of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Mavericks, and, in honor of his sons, he cheered on the Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners, and Texas A&M Aggies.
Wayne was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by three sons, Jake Ward of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Wes Ward and his wife Sarah of Dallas, Texas; and Will Ward of Keller, Texas; his sister, Jackie Ward and her spouse of Denton, Texas; and grandsons Myles Otto Ward and Wyatt James Ward.
Wayne was laid to rest at Sanger Cemetery in a family ceremony on March 5; a memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at 10:00 am at the Keller United Methodist Church (KUMC), 1025 Johnson Road, Keller, Texas 76248. Pastor Jason Valendy will officiate the services, which will be livestreamed at https://livestream.com/kellerumc/wardmemorial. Flowers can be delivered to KUMC; donations in lieu of flowers are welcome to KUMC or your favorite local charity.
Services are under the direction of Coker Funeral Home in Sanger. Please share a favorite memory or offer your condolences to the Ward Family at www.cokerfuneralhome.com.
Watch Keller UMC's A Celebration of the Life of V. Wayne Ward on Livestream.com.
