NORWICH – Charles E. (Chuck) Ward, 83, of Ballston Spa, and formerly of Deposit, Norwich and Walton, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 following a short illness.
Born in Deposit on Oct. 12, 1928, Chuck was the son of F. Erwin Ward and Isabella Post Ward. He graduated from Deposit Central School with the Class of 1946. Following graduation, he was recruited to play baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in Florida. Chuck later returned to Deposit and in 1948 began his career with NYSEG as a lineman. He served for 40 years and retired as a general foreman in Mechanicville.  During retirement, Chuck enjoyed woodworking, hunting, fishing on Lake Ontario, and trap shooting competitions as a member of the Kayaderosseras Fish and Game Club in Ballston Spa. He took great pride in his garden and enjoyed sharing his harvest of vegetables with his neighbors.
Chuck was a 58-year member of the Deposit Masonic Lodge #396 F & AM, serving as Master in 1959. He was a charter member of the McCabe Hollow Sportsmen’s Club in Deposit, former member of the Deposit Volunteer Fire Department and former member of the Royale Oasis Inc. in Walton.
On July 23, 1949 in Deposit, Chuck married Claire L. Lovell who predeceased him on Aug. 17, 1994. He is survived by two daughters, Susan M. Ward, of Catskill, and Mary Jane Benenati and her husband, Steven, of Norwich; two sons, Braden D. Ward and his wife, Kathy, of Oneonta and Mark J. Ward and his wife, Jane, of Walton; seven grandchildren, Matthew Ward, of Oneonta, Aaron Ward and fiancee Jessica Endries, of Oneonta, Jason Ward and his wife Leanne, of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Jeffrey Ward and his fiancee Shannon Brown-Zawerton, of Knoxville, Tenn,, Lauren Walling and her husband Tyler, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Ryan Benenati, of Tampa, Fla., Katie Benenati, of Norwich; four great-grandchildren, Logan and Abigail Ward, of Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Eliana Ward of Oneonta and Wyatt Ward of Richfield Springs.  Chuck is also survived by his sister, Martha Ward Carver, of Greenfield Center, cousin M. Edward Hartz, of Wilmington, N.C.; two brothers-in-law, John (Jack) Lovell, of Prescott, Ariz., and Joseph Lovell and his wife Norma, of Schenectady.  Several nieces and nephews also survive.
Mr. Ward’s family wishes to thank his nurse, Tammy as well as Karen and all of the caring staff of The Community Hospice of Saratoga.
Funeral services for Mr. Ward will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the First United Methodist Church, 107 Second Street, Deposit. Friends are invited to call at the church from 1 p.m. until the time of the service. Burial at the Pine Grove Cemetery will take place in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, the family has suggested that memorial contributions be made to the Deposit Central School (DCS) Alumni Association, PO Box 44, Deposit NY 13754, or The Community Hospice of Saratoga, 179 Lawrence Street, Saratoga Springs NY 12866.
The arrangements are under the direction of the Wilson Funeral Home.  To send a message of condolence to the family, please visit:  www.wilsonfh.com.