Gilbert's Obituary

Gilbert John Ward (92) died peacefully at Presbyterian Village, Austell, Georgia, on July 1, 2020.

He was born on September 27, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York to Gilbert James Ward and Ruth Eastland Ward. After graduating Grover Cleveland High School in 1945, he enlisted in the US Navy, where he served as a radio operator on the USS Princeton. After his discharge from active duty, he enrolled in Gordon College in Boston, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, meanwhile continuing to serve in the Naval Reserve until 1953. He received a Bachelor of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in Los Angeles, and a Masters of Theology from Eastern Baptist Seminary in Philadelphia. A sabbatical year was spent studying at the Ecumenical Institute, Chateau de Bossy, in Celigny, Switzerland.

He served as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Cape Neddick, Maine; Carmel Presbyterian Church in Glenside, Pennsylvania; Holmes (Pennsylvania) United Presbyterian Church; and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. He was Associate Executive of the Presbytery of Philadelphia for 20 years. Following his retirement in 1992, he served as interim pastor at Altama Presbyterian Church in Brunswick, Georgia, and at Cameron (North Carolina) Presbyterian Church.

Gil was a loving son, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and minister to many. A force to be reckoned with when he set his mind to something, he was loved and adored in the communities he served. He was lovingly cared for by the team at Presbyterian Village in Austell, GA in his final years.

He is survived by his wife, Joan; his children David Ward (Judith Stallings-Ward), Nancy Koenig (August), and Janice Ward; step-sons Andrew Tatnall (Nancy) and David Tatnall (Christine); grandsons Zachary and Gregory Ward; step-grandchildren Katherine Tatnall Arias (Sebas), Amelia Lawrence (Jonathan), Nicholas Tatnall and Caroline Tatnall, and step-great-granddaughters Camille, Luciana and Vivienne Arias, and Rosemary Lawrence.