Peter Crandall Ward

Peter Crandall Ward passed away on August 31, 2021 after a six-year battle with leukemia and COPD.He was preceded in death by his parents, Gladys and Harry Cameron Ward, II, of Yardley, PA, and his brother and sister-in-law, Harry Cameron Ward, III (Ret., U.S. Navy) and Ruth Tease Ward, of Norfolk, VA. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Alicia Carol Buchanan Ward. He was the proud and loving father of two sons, Matthew Peter (wife, Brenda) of Emporia, VA, and Nathaniel Oliver, of Chesterfield, VA. He is also survived by his sisters, Diane Reid (Alex) of Quakertown, PA, and Denise Altomare (Chris) of Yardley, PA, as well as nieces, Kimberly and Kristen Altomare, Deborah Reid Fulmer (Jerry) of Quakertown, PA, Lorraine Reid Miller (Derek) of Easton, PA, and nephews, Jonathan Ward, PhD (Amy) of San Jose, CA, and Robert Ward, PhD (Heather) of Los Alamos, NM, as well as five special people, Daisy Clark, Shannon Hawkins and Shannon’s three children, Shaunti, K’vion and Lay of Emporia, VA. Peter was born May 12, 1947 in Boston, MA. He graduated from Bucks County Community College (1968), served aboard the USS Coral Sea during the Vietnam War, and graduated from The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics in 1972. Upon graduation he worked for the Pennsylvania Farmers Association’s Farm Management and Business Analysis Service. He subsequently was hired by the Virginia Farm Bureau to establish a similar program for Virginia farmers. He later began his own business, Peter Ward, Inc., and continued to serve farmers in many areas of the state until his death. Peter was a Boy Scout leader in Culpeper, and a coach with the Midlothian Youth Soccer League for many years. He and his wife were the founders of CCR, a parent advocacy organization for people with disabilities. He was a member of the Chesterfield Community Services Board, appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 1985, serving as Chairman 1989-1990. Peter loved the water, spending his childhood summers on Cape Cod at his grandparents’ cottage, and found solitude and serenity on his boat. His parents, he and his siblings raised Appaloosa horses in Pennsylvania for several years, and Peter rode in many shows. He enjoyed working outside, was truly gifted with an ability to repair everything, and was kind and generous to a fault. He was a good, wise, honest, quiet, dry humored, hardworking man of integrity, who honored his commitments. He was a Boston Yankee who never strayed from his values, nor lost his Boston accent, which became ingrained over the years he worked on a Boston Harbor tour boat, and helped his Dad at the Boston Flower Market. He never passed up a cup of coffee. He was a great birthday cake baker, and made a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner, including mincemeat and pumpkin pies. He is finally at peace. A memorial service will take place at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 2, 2021 at Williams Funeral Home & Crematory, 410 Windsor Avenue, Lawrenceville, VA 23868. The service will be livestreamed on the Williams Funeral Home & Crematory Facebook page. A gathering of friends and family will be held at the Ward home in Alberta following the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society https://givenow.lls.org/give/342076/#!/donation/checkout, VCU Massey Cancer Center Dalton Oncology Clinic https://www.support.vcu.edu/give/Massey, Autism Speaks https://www.autismspeaks.org/?form=donate, or Tuberous Sclerosis Association https://tuberous-sclerosis.org/get-involved/donate-money-to-the-tsa/.