James Anthony Ward, Sr.
12/10/1953 - 07/20/2022
Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m. EST, Saturday, July 30, 2022 at Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church, Columbus, GA with Rev. Dr. J. H. Flakes, III, officiating. Burial will be at Rest Haven Cemetery, Wilson, NC on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. EST. There will be no public visitation.
James Anthony Ward, Sr., a proud veteran of the United States Navy and member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Born December 10, 1953 in Wilson, NC; James is the son of Marjorie Pettiford - Turner and the late Herbert “Tootsie” Ward. Growing up in Wilson, NC, James was raised in a loving home under the care of Herbert “Hub” and Dazell Ward. He attended Wilson County Public Schools and continued his post-secondary education at Florida A&M University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in August 1984. He later furthered his education by earning a Master’s Degree in Business Management from Webster University in March 1998.
James joined the United States Navy in 1978 and retired as a Senior Chief at the rank of E-8 in 2002. During his Navy tenure, James earned a plethora of accolades including but not limited to Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Contracting Officer’s Representative, and Navy MEPES Trainer before retiring and transitioning to the Fleet Reserve of the U.S. Navy.
James was a faithful servant of his church and the surrounding community. He was a member of Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church serving on the Trustee Ministry, usher, Christian education Ministry and security. He recently was a speaker at the Men’s and Women’s Retreat for Fourth Street. James served as Vice President for a "Call To Talk - Community Call to Action".
James was initiated in the Delta Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. in the fall of 1973 of Fayetteville State University. He was a former member of the Beta Beta Beta Chapter in Lambda Iota Chapter in Columbus, GA. He was a man of many talents, including marital arts. Watching movies, playing golf, evening walks, and spending time with his loving wife and family were his favorite past times.
He is survived by his devoted wife, Angela Vickers-Ward; mother, Marjorie Pettiford - Turner and stepfather, George Turner of Brooklyn, NY; two children, James Anthony Ward, II of Columbus, OH and Ayla (Kelvin Jr.) Blevins of Tallahassee, FL.; two bonus children, Kiara (Lorenzo, Jr.) Dickens of Tampa, FL and Christopher, Jr. (Jenessi) Bonner of Wesley Chapel, FL; three sisters, Gail (Max) Blythe of Brooklyn, NY, Yvonne Sims of Wilson, NC and Nikisha Turner of Brooklyn, NY; seven grandchildren: Kelvin Blevins III, Kartier Blevins, Matthew Dickens, Zaire Dickens, Chase Dickens, Taylor Dickens and Canon Bonner; one loving god mother, Betty “Ma Betty” Campbell and host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and other loved ones.