Bill Ward, of Charlottesville, Va. passed away on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, at the University Of Virginia Medical Center, at the age of 77 years old, after his battle with cancer.

Bill was born in Charlottesville on October 22, 1940, to the late Rhodes William Ward, Sr. and Edith Falwell Ward. He grew up and spent the majority of his life in Charlottesville, and graduated from Albemarle High School in 1959.

Bill and Linda were married on October 7, 1961, and had just celebrated their 56th anniversary together. They raised their three sons in Albemarle County where all three graduated from Western Albemarle High.

Bill is survived by his wife, Linda; son, Jeff and wife, Paige of Emerald Isle, N.C. and Jeff's children, Haley and Walker; son, Todd of Charlottesville and his children, Nick and wife, Rachel, of Charlottesville and Tyler of Bethlehem, Pa.; son, Chris of Clayton, N.C. and his children, Livvi and Joe; and Bill's sister, Bonnie Fitzgerald of Charlottesville.

He was known affectionately by his grandchildren as "Grindaddy". His passion for cars and racing lead him to start his own automotive repair and service center, at Tarleton Oak Exxon (ESSO) and later at Bill Ward's Auto Service on Pantops Mountain.

As a father of 3 boys, he took great pleasure in coaching Dixie Little League Baseball and Little League Football when his sons were old enough to play. He was a big supporter of UVA Football and Basketball. Bill was totally involved with his sons' sports from Little League through high school. Bill and Linda always took great pride in their family and the sons they raised. A standing family joke after retiring was they didn't take vacations, just moved every 5-8 years, first to Nags Head in 1996, back to Ruckersville in 2001, then to New Bern, N.C. in 2009 and finally back to Charlottesville in August 2017. His roots were always firmly planted in Albemarle Co.

After retiring, he drove a school bus in Nags Head and later in Greene County. He enjoyed fishing, working in the yard and watching college sports on TV. Bill loved his faithful Boston Terrier friends, Auggie Doggie, Scoobie Doobie, and currently Charlie Brown.

At Bill's request, a graveside service will be held in Free Union, Va. at Wesley Chapel Church located on Wesley Chapel Rd. Pastor Ben Maton of Immanuel Lutheran Church will officiate. The service is scheduled at 2 p.m. on Monday, October 30, 2017. Following the service, a reception for family and friends is planned at Immanual Lutheran Church located in Charlottesville on Jefferson Park Avenue.

The family would like to sincerely thank his nurses and doctors in ICU North, West 4, and ICU West. All of them helped Bill and his family during this difficult time.

Donations can be made to a charity of your choice in his name. Condolences may be offered to the family at teaguefuneralhome.com.

​​​​​​​Submitted by Allen Carver.