Donald W. Ward

Donald W. Ward, P.E., 86, until recently of Monticello, passed away on Friday, May 28, in Huntington after a brief illness. His wife, Karen (Van Scoyoc) Ward, had predeceased him in 2016.
Don lived at 322 North Illinois Street for nearly 50 years. He was a registered professional engineer and land surveyor in Monticello for almost 50 years with his firm Donald W. Ward & Associates. Over the course of his career, he designed more than half of the bridges in White County, including Lowes Bridge and Norway Bridge. The White County Commissioners recently renamed Norway Bridge in his honor. He designed bridges principally in the northern half of Indiana including Wells, Blackford, Huntington, Tipton, Jasper, Tippecanoe and Pulaski Counties, to name a few.
Don served on the White County Area Plan Commission for more than 25 years. He was also a Rotarian and served as president of the Monticello Rotary Club from 1975-76. Don loved the outdoors, and was happiest walking down a quiet country road on a crisp fall day with a walking stick. He was also an avid lover of classical music.
Donald William Ward was born January 7, 1935, in Lafayette, to the late Nathan L. and Alice (Click) Ward. His grandfather Paul Ward (1861-1936), a civil engineer and White County Surveyor, did the survey for the creation of Lakes Freeman and Shafer around 1919. Don grew up in Reynolds. He graduated from Reynolds High School in 1953, where he was captain of the basketball team. He graduated from Purdue University in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. While at Purdue, Don was in the ROTC and after graduation he served in the National Guard. Following that service, he joined the Indiana State Highway in Indianapolis in the design division where he felt he received good professional preparation. After a few years, he joined his brother-in-laws firm Dwight Schlegelmilch & Associates in Monticello. While with that firm, he began the design work on Norway Bridge, which he also considered his most difficult due to the position of the bridge directly downstream of Norway Dam and at an angle over the Tippecanoe River.
Don married Karen Van Scoyoc of Williamsport in 1968. He started his own firm in Monticello around 1971, and continued working until he retired at the end of 2019, just before his 85th birthday. He derived a great deal of satisfaction from solving engineering problems for his clients and had a vivid memory of each project, the issues it presented and how they were solved.
Don was a devoted and loving husband and an adoring and generous grandfather, very proud of his eight grandchildren. He leaves three children and their families: Eric N. Ward (Sarah) of Cambridge, MA; John S. Ward, Ph.D. (Frederique) of Roanoke, IN; and D. William "Bill" Ward, Ph.D. (Emily) of San Gabriel, CA; and his sisters Mary Schlegelmilch (Indianapolis) and Kathryn "Kathy" Stockdale (Richard) of Adairsville, GA; and his sister-in-law Caroline (Van Scoyoc) Greene (Phillip) of Webster Groves, MO. He was predeceased by his brothers Paul J. Ward, Francis N. "Tanny" Ward and Robert L. Ward. He leaves numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be on Friday, June 4, 2021, from 11 am until the time of services at 1pm celebrating Dons life at Springer-Voorhis-Draper Funeral Home of Monticello. Pastor Andrew Keller from St. James Lutheran Church, Reynolds will officiate services.
Burial will follow in St. James Lutheran Cemetery, Reynolds
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Monticello Rotary or to the Society of Indiana Pioneers in Indianapolis.
Friends and family are encouraged share a photo, a memory, or a message of condolence at www.springerfuneralhome.com