Dr. Thomas L. Ward, age 64 of Joplin, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, June 10, 2015.
Born October 30, 1950 in St. Louis, MO at St. Mary's Hospital, he was the first child of Dr. Brente and Alethea Miller Ward. His father was a colonel and was a Dentist in the Army and the family moved every two years to bases all over the United States and Germany.
Tom graduated from high school in Augsburg, Germany and came home to attend college at Southwest Missouri State University where he received his B.S. Throughout high school and college, Tom participated in almost every sport and was captain of his high school football team. He was president of his class in every school he attended and cultivated many life-long friendships. After college he went to UMKC School of Dentistry and received his DDS.
Tom served in the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of Captain.
An aspiring oral surgeon, Tom was blindsided at age 27 with a sudden disability that would never let him fulfill that dream. It would eventually make him wheelchair bound, but that did not deter him. He went to law school while he taught dentistry in Oklahoma City because he thought he could be an attorney from a wheelchair. By the time he got his J.D., he decided to go to medical school and become a radiologist. He got accepted at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine and met his future wife, Carolyn, there. From there, they went to Columbus, Ohio, then to Tulane University in New Orleans, where he completed his radiology residency. They moved back to Oklahoma City for another year of specialty training, then came to settle in Joplin in 1994. He built his dream home, raised a beautiful son, Connor, and worked at St. John's Hospital until 2014. Despite his disabilities, he worked on his property, hand planting hundreds of trees, carefully planning the energy efficient dream home, and loving his wife, son, dogs and his cat. He was an incredible role model to many, persevering in spite of tremendous physical limits and pain, never making excuses for himself. Tom was the smartest and bravest man that most people will ever have known and his passing leaves a big hole in many hearts.
Tom is survived by his adoring wife of 26 years, Carolyn Prater, his son, Connor, both of Joplin, and by his sister, Brenda Avery and her husband, Marv of Kansas, Oklahoma.
A Service of Remembrance with military honors will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday at Parker Chapel, after which, the family will receive friends. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Parker Mortuary. Memorial contributions are encouraged to either Joplin Salvation Army or Joplin Humane Society.
No comments:
Post a Comment