Mary Ward

Mary Jo Ward, 83, of Mansfield, Texas, passed away March 30, 2011. Jo was born on February 20, 1928 to Jeat and Ola Burkhalter in Throckmorton, Texas. In 1945, Jo moved to New Orleans, Louisiana to work for the National Weather Service where she met co-worker John Smithee Ward, veteran of the 36th Infantry Division of World War II. After a brief courtship, the two married on March 19, 1946. Jo and John welcomed daughter Janis Jo in May 1947 and son Dave Smithee in February 1950. The Wards moved to Fort Worth in 1954, establishing a home in Arlington Heights and a church home at Grace United Methodist Church, where they remained active members for many decades. Jo worked for American General Insurance Company as a secretary in the mortgage loan division for twenty years until her retirement. In 1983, Jo and John relocated to Mansfield, Texas, surrounded by many extended family members and friends. Since 2000, they have been active members of First United Methodist Church in Mansfield, the Wesley Sunday School Class and dedicated volunteers of the Wesley Mission Center. They started each day solving puzzles in the newspaper and looked forward to playing Forty Two on Wednesday afternoons with the Fun Seekers at the church. An enthusiastic fan of the Rangers and Mavericks, she spent much of her time making needlework creations and baking homemade treats. Jo was proud "Granny" to her granddaughters and "Granny Jo" to her great granddaughters. Survivors: Husband of sixty-five years, John Smithee Ward; daughter, Jan Randolph; granddaughters Alyssa Randolph, Brenna Randolph and Arden Ward; great granddaughters Lauren Pham, Madison Morin, Leila Sojoodi and Norah Sojoodi. Preceded in death by beloved son, Dave Ward and brother, J.R. Burkhalter, Jo was treasured by all who knew her for her cheerful, loving spirit. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Wesley Sunday School Class or Wesley Mission Center of First United Methodist Church of Mansfield, 777 N. Walnut Creek Drive, Mansfield, TX 76063.