March 13, 1935 – January 14, 2023
Verne S. Ward Sr. went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 14, 2023.
He passed peacefully at home surrounded by three generations of adoring family and in the arms of his loving wife of 68 years, Viola Roehl Ward.
Verne was born March 13, 1935, in Missoula, Montana, to Verne and Tracy Ward. He was the youngest of eight children.
He learned how to cook Italian food from his mother and Italian prisoners of war who were housed in their home.
At the age of 15, Verne an electrician’s apprenticeship at the Electrical Shop.
Verne and Viola began their dating relationship at the roller-skating rink. They celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on Nov. 6.
Work for electricians became scarce in Missoula, so they bought a small trailer and began to travel for work to Colorado, Utah, eastern Idaho and ended up in Nampa.
While working in Nampa, Verne began studying for ministry at Northwest Nazarene College and pastored a church in Jordan Valley.
He was then called to pastor in Mountain Home for two years, after which the family of eight moved back to Nampa where Verne was associate pastor for North Nampa (Lakeview) Church of the Nazarene.
In 1964 he started his own business from the basement of his rented home with $100 he borrowed from a friend.
Town & Country Electric was successfully built on service and was passed on to his son Andy and this month to his grandson Mitch.
Verne and Viola purchased their first home in 1966. It was the Brandt home, built in 1902, and is one of Nampa’s oldest homes. Verne had a passion for helping small churches in small communities and loved to help with their electrical needs.
He was a generous man who believed in people and the ability to work together to do good for people of our communities.
A passion for church camps for children inspired Verne to serve on camps boards, and he contributed time and resources to help provide a camping experience in McCall (Victory Cove) and Cascade (Trinity Pines) for children of Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Nevada.
In retirement Verne and Viola moved to Cascade, where they made many dear friends and became a contributing part of the community.
All his life, Verne loved to make furniture from natural wood. In Cascade he loved harvesting trees and patiently crafted the wood into beautiful pieces enjoyed by family and friends.
Verne passed peacefully from our presence, but we know he entered heaven shouting, “Glory!”
His relationship with Jesus was core to his life and love and the way he cared deeply for his beloved “Ola” and his children, Verne III and Natalie Ward; Merc Ward, who preceded him in death; Andy and Carla Ward; Tim and Barb Ward; Tracy and Ron Herzog; and Molly and Barry Beech. He had 17 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren as of today.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at Cascade Community Church.
A Nampa drop-in celebrating Verne’s life will take place from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, at Nampa First Church of the Nazarene.
