Gladys Ward

Gladys Ward, 93, resident of Asheville and Candler, NC, died peacefully on July 18, 2009, at Pisgah Manor Health Care Center, in Candler. She was born in Rocky Face (Whitfield Co.), GA, on May 3, 1916, the daughter of Marvin Ward and Edna Morris Ward. She attended local grammar schools in Rocky Face and worked her way through high school at Berry School in Rome, GA. After several early jobs, she subsequently took a secretarial course and was offered a job at the Pentagon during World War II. She moved to Arlington, VA, in 1942 and worked at the Pentagon for the next 28 years. At the time of her retirement at age 56, she was a clerk-typist in the personnel department of the Air Force. Upon her retirement in the early 1970s, she moved to Asheville and has lived here ever since. She was a member of the West Asheville Baptist Church. Gladys will be remembered for her outstanding generosity. She lived frugally so that she could give away most of her income to deserving charities, schools, and her church. She opposed waste and "lived lightly on the earth." To beautify her Asheville environment, she planted and tended flowers in "found" flowerbeds. She kept fit by gardening. With her longtime friend, John Smith, she picked up much trash along many roads. In Arlington she had been known as the "rose lady" because of her prolific rose bushes. She also sewed many quilts. Gladys managed her life despite having a severe hearing problem since age 19. She was one of the first patients to have surgery for cataract removal. She was always fiercely independent. She was predeceased by brothers Herman Andrew Ward of Rocky Face, GA, and R.K. (Robert Kelly) Ward of Roanoke, VA. She is survived by a niece, Faye Ann Ward, of San Bruno, CA, and a nephew, Kelly Ward, of Piney Flats, TN. The family is grateful to Gladys' caregivers and friends who visited her in the last decade of her life, especially to Gay Deaver of Asheville, who saw her weekly and e-mailed reports of her visits to family members. Per Gladys' request, no service will be held. Burial will be at Riverview Cemetery in Asheville with Groce Funeral Home on Patton Ave. serving the family. Donations may be made to your favorite charity.