February 21, 1938 ~ July 13, 2020 (age 82)
Stephenville – Johnnie Ward, 82, died on Monday, July 13, 2020.
Johnnie was born in Livingston, TN on February 21, 1938, the seventh of nine children to Herman and Maggie (Connor) Taylor. She married Charles Ward on August 1, 1954 in Kentuckytown, Texas.
She loved her family. She and Charles were married for almost 66 years. They rarely spent a day apart until she had to go into a nursing home in 2016. Even then, Charles would try to visit her every day. She made a point of telling everyone at the nursing home that he was her “main squeeze”. As bad as her dementia became, she always knew her Main Squeeze!
She loved her daughter, Kathy, and son, David. When they were children, she was active in their lives, often acting as school room mother, scout leader, Sunday School teacher, and more. She pushed them to be their best and helped them to be. As adults, she celebrated their successes and independence, and was quick to tell anyone who would listen all about them!
She loved being a grandmother. She loved playing with her boys. Nothing made her happier than a visit from Hunter and Parker. She would spend hours reading to them, playing with them and cooking them special treats.
Johnnie enjoyed gardening, reading, card games, and, most of all, talking. Her brother-in-law gave her the title “Mouth of the South”, which was justified. She would talk to you about anything. And she would talk to anyone – at church, at the grocery store, at yard sales, at restaurants – if you crossed her path, she would talk to you. She was intelligent, funny, and witty. She managed the household, raised two children, was active in her church, and did volunteer work. She touched many lives, in many ways.
Johnnie is survived by her husband, Charles Ward; daughter, Kathy and George Wooley; and son, David and Cindy Ward; two grandsons, Hunter and Destiny Ward and Parker Ward; two step-granddaughters, Julie and John Lowrance and Jennifer Givens; two great-grandsons, Lorenzo and Ezra Ward, two step-great-granddaughters, Grace and Piper Lowrance; and two sisters Billie Jean Neal and Betty Knight. She is preceded in death by her mother and father; three sisters, Claudine Phillips, Jessie Carson, and Frances Chambers; and three brothers, Charles Taylor, Jimmy Taylor, and Herbert Taylor.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will not be a service at this time. At a later date, the family will arrange a memorial service. While Johnnie loved flowers, the family has asked that you not send any. Your love and prayers are all they need. However, if you wish to do something, the family asks that you consider taking a gift to the workers at your local nursing home or make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association of America.
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