Allen M. Ward Sr

After a dogged and painful struggle with metastatic bone cancer, Allen M. Ward, Sr. of Manchester, CT died at home in his 99th year on September 23, 2014 soothed "in the arms of Morpheus" and comforted by hospice care from Vitas and by his devoted caregiver Pamela Schaff. Born on October 23, 1915 in Andover, MA, Allen was the only child of Miles R. and Katherine E. (Barrett) Ward. He graduated from Andover's Punchard High School in 1933 and the New England Aircraft School at Logan Airport in East Boston, MA in 1934. He came to Connecticut in 1935 to work at Chance Vought Aircraft, where he was part of the team that developed the Corsair fighter plane until Chance Vought moved to Texas in 1939. Rendered 4f by a motorcycle accident, he continued to work in the aircraft industry until 1945, when he and his partner, Henry Haas, co-founded Central Metal Products of Hartford., which was later taken over by the Barnes Corporation. In 1953, Allen and his wife founded Ward Manufacturing Company on Adams Street in Manchester. They started in a burned-out candle factory that they gradually rebuilt and added to until they needed to build a new plant next door. Fifteen years later, the company was sold, and Allen entered into a very vigorous retirement. A farm boy at heart, he was an active member of the Manchester Grange #31. He always had a big garden and maintained a fruit and vegetable stand on Keeney St. each summer for 35 years. Also an avid fisherman, he was a past-president of the Super Sixty Sportsmen's Club. He especially enjoyed yearly trips to fish for salmon and steelhead in Lake Ontario and ice fishing all over eastern Connecticut in the winter. Joining the South United Methodist Church after settling in Manchester in 1941, Allen was an energetic member of the congregation in general and the men's club in particular. He was also a generous benefactor of that church, several others in Manchester and Glastonbury, and the Andover Baptist Church in his hometown, as well as the University of Connecticut Medical school and several hospitals in Connecticut and Massachusetts. His hard work and charitable spirit are exemplified by his membership in the Rotary Club of Manchester for 48 years, 32 with perfect attendance before a bout with lymphoma and advancing age began to interfere. He was always ready to lend a hand with Rotary's many fund-raising and charitable activities. He was particularly generous in support of the Club's water project, which brings fresh running water and improved sanitation to one or two poor villages in Guatemala each year. This year, he is also a major sponsor of the Rotary Club's Holes 4 Hope golf tournament at the Manchester Country Club on Oct. 1 to raise funds for victims of cancer and for other good causes. Asked how he wished to be remembered, Allen dictated the following epitaph: What he lacked in stature, he more than made up for in ambition to succeed. Allen was predeceased by his wife Marion Edwards Ward and her son Robert P. Edwards. He is survived by his son, and daughter-in-law, Allen M. Ward, Jr. and Carol Maturo Ward of Manchester, CT; his granddaughter Ellen Barnes, her husband Daniel Barnes, and their daughter Nicole of Bolton, CT; his grandson Alexander Ward and his children Austin, Aaron, and Brandon of Riverton, WY and Colorado Springs, CO; as well as the children of Robert P. Edwards and their families: Laura Edwards Webb and her daughter Jessica of Manchester, CT; Charlene Edwards Minicucci, her husband Charles, and their daughters Samantha and Ashley of Andover, CT; Robert C. Edwards, his wife Joyce, and their children Camilla and Paul of Palm City, FL; and Andrew Edwards, his wife Amy, and their children Sophia and Cole of Collinsville, CT. Allen's family will receive friends from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. on Friday September 26, 2014 at the Holmes Funeral Home, 400 Main St., Manchester, CT, and a funeral service will be held there at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 27. Interment will be in Manchester's East Cemetery at the convenience of the family. For those who wish to make a memorial contribution in lieu of flowers, tax-free donations may be made to the Rotary Club of Manchester Foundation, P. O. Box 1, Manchester, CT 06045.



Visitation DetailsFriday, September 26th, 2014 4:00pm - 7:00pmService DetailsSaturday, September 27th, 2014 2:00pmInterment DetailsEast Cemetery