Floyd Charles Ward

Floyd Charles Ward, 94, passed away peacefully in his sleep early Monday morning on November 18, 2013. Floyd was born on August 10, 1919, to Richard Alvin and Marinda IreneJohn Ward in Sterling,Idaho. He was the ninth of eleven children.

Floyd married Norma Alene Rice on June 23, 1939. They were married in Norma's parents' home, and their marriage was later solemnized in the Idaho Falls Temple. They raised seven children: Mardean (Charles) Duckworth, Portland, Oregon; Darlene (Robert) Wright, Twin Falls, Idaho; Kevin (Pam) Ward, Pocatello, Idaho; David (Karma) Ward, Salt Lake City, Utah; Shannon (David) Gibb, Canby, Oregon; Dallas (Lizbeth) Ward, Tyhee, Idaho; and Nicholas (Nancy) Ward, Salt Lake City, Utah. They have 27 grandchildren, and 42 great-grandchildren.

Having celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary the previous summer, Norma passed away on November 28, 1999. Floyd subsequently married Louise Romriell, a long-time friend and fellow Tyhee resident, on July 14, 2000. They shared a loving relationship together, providing support, care and, most importantly, companionship to each other in the waning years of their lives.
Floyd was blessed to have been able to live in the home he built and loved to the day of his passing. He had the home built in 1946 in Tyhee, Idaho, adjacent to his parents' home. He loved Tyhee, and the community of friends he developed and enjoyed over the years. And he was proud to be a resident of the State of Idaho, his home state for his entire life.

Floyd and his father, Richard Ward, founded Ward's dairy in 1939. Together they, and later Norma and their children, worked on making the dairy a success and a source for providing necessities and opportunities for them and their children. Later, Floyd branched into farming and ranching, and enjoyed feeding the cows until well into his 80s.

Floyd was active in his community. He was a member of the Chubbuck Lions Club which, under his direction, formed the Chubbuck Little League. Unaffiliated with any formal little league association, Floyd's vision, in which he was successful, was to provide an opportunity to play organized baseball otherwise not available to the boys in Chubbuck and the Tyhee Flats. No boy was turned away.

He was an active member of the LDS Church, serving in many positions including as counselor for many years to Bishop Karl Loveland and as a high councilman in the North Pocatello Stake. He believed very much in his church, but was often heard to say that, even if the Church were not true, he would live its principles because of the way of life it teaches.

Floyd will be remembered by his children and many others for his simple and simply profound bits of wisdom. "Hang tough", "too far from your heart to kill you" and "bend zee knees" are only a few of many such phrases, some inappropriate for public disclosure, with which his children and grandchildren are familiar.

He will also be remembered for his "work hard so we can play" approach to life. He loved skiing and swimming with his children and their friends, but work always had to be done first. Getting up early to run a milk route before going skiing was a simple fact of life for the Ward family.
Floyd is the last of a generation, all ten of his siblings having preceded him in death. He loved them all, and as his mind moved away from this world, it often focused on siblings and their parents. For him, death brings a tender reunion.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the Tyhee Stake Center, corner of East Tyhee and Moonglow Roads. The family will receive friends and relatives on Friday, November 22, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Wilks Funeral Home, 211 West Chubbuck Road, and one hour prior to services at the Tyhee Stake Center. Interment will be next to his wife, Norma, in the Mountain View Cemetery.

The family wishes to express their appreciation for the care and assistance provided by Sharon, Shyanne, Rita, Alyssia, and the 7th Ward Relief Society over the last several years.
Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.wilksfuneralhome.com. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Perpetual Education Fund, online at http://pef.lds.org/pef/howcanihelp or a charity of choice.