J. Patrick Ward ’63

J. Patrick Ward ’63, passed away in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Oct. 12. Pat was born in Thomasville, Ga., on Jan. 29, 1941, to the late Preston Ward and Nellie Elkins Ward. During his senior year in high school, Pat was all-state debater, high school football all-American, and valedictorian of the Class of 1959. He attended Davidson, where he was on the freshman council. While attending Emory, Pat was president of the Barkley Forum, vice-president of the student body, the first national vice-president of the National Forensic Society, and a member of the Emory Debate Team. He received his L.L.B. in law in 1964 and his J.D. in 1966. He worked with the Georgia attorney general’s office in Atlanta, Ga., after graduation from Emory Law School. He then was in law practice with Sims and Lewis Attorneys in LaGrange, Ga. Pat returned to Cairo in 1970 to open a private law practice that continued until 2003. He served as the Grady County State Court Judge and the municipal court judge. Pat participated in the National Judicial College Programs for Sentencing Misdemeanants, Mediation, and Domestic Violence. Since his retirement from private practice in 2003, he has served as a senior state court judge, and has conducted seminars for JAG Probation Inc. He also served on the board of the Thomas County CASA, Inc. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Cairo. Pat was a man of many talents and hobbies. His greatest joy was spending time with his family and friends. He was an avid reader, a serious photographer, a historian, and had a keen interest in the beauty of nature. Pat loved the farm where he and his brother were reared in Pine Park. Pat was also widely traveled, having visited Europe, Asia, and 49 of the 50 states. At the time of his death, he and his wife, Cathy, were on vacation in Arizona enjoying the rugged beauty of rock formations and native flora. Survivors include his wife, Cathy L. Ward, P.O. Box 618, Cairo, GA 39828; sons, Patrick Ward (Kayo), James Christopher Ward, Martin Greenlee (Nancy), and Derrick K. Wise; grandchildren, Kotono Jane Ward, Mollie Ann Greenlee, Matthew Allen Greenlee, Samuel Martin, Ryan Robb, Daniel Robb, and Cora Robb; brother, Bob Ward; and special friends, Teresa Hester, Hattie Mae Johnson, and Willie “Sam” McIntyre. Pat was preceded in death by his parents, Preston Ward and Nellie Elkins Ward.