I just received the news from Judy Van Duzer that Ward died of a heart attack New Year's Eve....
Ward was a member here in Florida of the MCRC and had been very active in the GSCB when he lived in NJ.
Ward had a quick wit and was a true modeler....he'll be missed.

CAVU old friend...

WOW I am surprised. I new Ward since he lived in northern Georgia. We got together many times over the years.
 I will miss him.
Ed

I met Ward at VSC and had a great time visiting with him and Larry Scarinzi. He was a gentleman and a man who loved control line. I am sure he will be missed. With Ward and Larry at the same breakfast you do not need to say much, just listen. I love to hear the stories told of days gone by.

My prayers out to Wards family for their and our loss.  I had seen Ward at many places, but like most of the people I have met never got really close.   I guess it will get worse as every time I get close to some one something happens.   Lets hope 2017 is a much better year.

I gave myself a couple days before replying to this one...

Ward was quite an interesting guy... I read his column, long before he moved here and became club-mates and friends. When I first met Ward, I wasn't sure what to think... he had an orators voice, and was one person who didn't need a microphone. When Ward was anywhere on the field telling stories, you knew it! Heh. Over time, I found he had was a stickler for details, and really liked to build as authentic a plane as he could, and really enjoyed building for the OTS and Classic events. I observed that while being a competent flyer, he didn't like the pressure of competition, yet he was a very good builder.

Ward had slowed his flying down a quite a bit as of late, but still had an active interest in building, and coming out to support the club at events to cheer us on. Recently, he had been well on his way to divesting himself of excess modeling stuff, almost like he knew something was coming.

One item I acquired from Ward, was his un-finished DoubleCross. He had tried listing it here in the classifieds when I saw it, and it wasn't getting any bites. He was trying to bundle it with the PA61, and I could tell he didn't want to get stuck with the plane if he broke up the set. I told him that if he sold the plane locally, the engine would surely sell on the forum, and very quickly. He said, you're right, and if you're interested, I'll make you an offer you can't refuse. He did, and I didn't. I could tell he at one time had a keen interest in this plane, and he did a great job of wood selection and building it to the point when I got it.

Something told me to get it finished quick for Ward to be able to see it fly, so I jumped right into it, and within a month or so, I had finished the build, trimmed & clear coated, powered with a fresh PA40 and in the air. I did my best to keep the weight down, and with the help of Wards excellent wood selection, he made it easy for me to hit 56.5 ounces. A stellar weight for a plane based on a large SV kit with the tips trimmed down.

Ward made it to our field and got to witness its first flights. He was pretty stoked to see it go and fly so well. I liked it enough to use it as my weapon of choice for some local contests, and placed well with it a couple times.

I mentioned the DoubleCross to his wife Judy in a conversation the other day after his passing... and she about leveled me when she confirmed my suspicions and told me how pleased it had made Ward, and that whenever he saw me flying DoubleCross at the field, he would go home and tell her about it...How can I even begin to explain...words fail... be good to your friends while you can.

EricV