My father, John Lee Ward, was truly a blessed man. The stories he revealed to me later in life -- starting with possessing only a second-grade education, to leaving home [Forest City, AR] when he was 13-years old with an older cousin who disappeared in Seattle, WA, while attempting to sell jewelry to support both of them, to catching trains across the country -- what he called "hoboing" -- until he married my mother, Billie Jean Curry Ward, whom he met in Fort Myers, FL, in 1968. His years of "hoboing" was 15-years long, that ended when he met my mother at the age of 28. This explains his strong desire to always be on the go, "playing the odds" simultaneously with high hopes of "hitting the jackpot" one day that never happened for him. But there is good news. In the end, he died with what many would say, "with little," and that may be true; however, in death -- Glory be to God -- in a twinkling of the eye, he has entered into "true" riches that cannot be taken away from him." Let us all rejoice! Funeral Home Moloney-Hewell Funeral Home and Cremation Services 4140 University Blvd S Jacksonville FL - 32216 US (904) 737-4855 (904) 739-8159