John Lee Ward died on December 12th, 2025, after a courageous fight against complications arising from prostate cancer. On his way out of this world he bravely shared his heart and soul, embracing his vulnerability and profusely expressing gratitude to his friends, family, and caretakers. He was 74.

John was born in Los Angeles, California on May 25, 1951. As a young boy he idolized Dodger hall-of-famers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. Working at the Chevron gas station owned by his father, he pumped gas into Dodger stars cars and chased after foul balls at the new Dodger stadium next door. In the summer, John and his older sister Cynthia (Cindy) would take a road trip across the continent with their cousins to visit his Canadian grandparents’ homestead in Nova Scotia.

“Johnny” was old-school Hollywood cool. He surfed radical beaches, raced hot rods down boulevards and motorcycles through hundreds of miles of desert. When his kids were studying History of the 1960s at Roosevelt Middle School, they interviewed John, who vividly provided a first-hand account, recalling the euphoria of rocking out at an Allman Brothers concert and the fear of going away to war.

From 1970 to 1974, John served in the US Navy as an electrician on the USS Hoel #13, a guided missile destroyer. He earned the nickname “Steamer” for being the life of the party. He saw the world, traveling to Hawaii, Midway Island, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Guam, the Philippines, and Danang Harbor in Vietnam

John moved to Oregon with his first wife Teresa and was elated when his firstborn Nicole was born in 1979. They moved to Eugene from Roseburg shortly after. John remarried his second wife Denice in 1992 and was overjoyed to welcome his son Brian into the world in 1994. Though Nicole and Brian were born 15 years apart, both had John’s full attention in childhood, taking them to batting cages to coach their swings, and relentlessly defeating them in mini golf at local venues.

In 2005 John married Terri Ward. They celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this past summer on June 11th. Avid sailors, they included their two blended families in a ceremony at the Eugene Yacht Club. That day, John proudly married his “beautiful blonde professor” just yards away from where he first met her, and from where he proposed in the vee-birth of his Schock 23, Mistoffelees. A couple years later for Christmas, Terri recovered the cushions with beautiful nautical fabric in secret. Convinced that she had John in the dark, she was shocked when he pulled out a piece of paper from his wallet that had predicted a gift of “boat cushions.” She had left a step ladder askew and never tried to surprise him again!

John also embraced two spitfire stepdaughters, Zina and Ariel, whom he won over with Sweet Life chocolate desserts and cheers from the sidelines of their ultimate frisbee games. Never a typical “South Eugene” father, his kids were completely mortified one fall weekend when he lit a cigar from his field-side camping chair, their peers aghast as they huddled during a tournament.

Middle schoolers get embarrassed by their parents, and they’ve since forgiven him – his offense now a humorous memory of his rebellious and gentle nature. John’s passionate nature got him into some dicey situations but were always worth the story. He and his pals sailed a 50-foot yacht down the coast in a storm and finished their voyage under coast guard escort. On vacation in Puerto Vallarta, he and his longtime friends Doug, and Hector, cruised down the dock until they were invited onto a racing boat for a wild two days in perfect conditions. When sailing the Greek islands with his wife, Terri, and three other savvy couples, he charmed local bakers with his appetite for sweet pastries and brought back incredible hauls for breakfast.

He faithfully crewed on Thursday nights and in regattas every long weekend, never losing his competitive spirit. He could trim a spinnaker like the best of them and bemoaned the wind dying on a “tower finish.” He raced sailboats in Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington, and Canada. He competed in the Swiftsure from Victoria, BC along the Juan De Fuca Straight aboard Fifth Season, a Swan 53 owned by Jay Platt. John worked as an inventory manager and salesman at Platt Electric in Eugene for 30 years, retiring in 2013. Each year he organized Platt’s sponsorship of the Big Brother Big Sister program’s sailing event, bringing kids onboard for an afternoon on the water.

Teaching sailing to novices brought John even more joy than sailing with experts. He volunteered as an instructor at EYC’s Sail School and with veterans through a Eugene city recreation program. This past summer he was awarded the Dr. Dick Brust award for outstanding lifetime contribution to EYC’s sail school.

Besides sailing, one of John’s lifelong pastimes was tinkering in the garage. As a young man he tended to his prized Camaro alongside his brother-in-law, Victor. Later, he completely rebuilt the motor of a pageant blue MGB with his friend Jim Trezona, in his buddy Jim Hewett’s garage. There were very few home projects John couldn’t handle himself. His intelligence shined most brightly when he was working with his hands or fine tuning a toy to make it go faster.

When social media emerged, John reconnected with his Navy buddies and his own identity as a Vietnam veteran. Serendipitously, several lived nearby in the Willamette Valley, reuniting on the 13th of each month to gleefully reminisce about coming of age 50 years ago in the Pacific. They met at a local greasy spoon diner, swapped stories, and shared their experiences with ailments linked to exposure to agent orange, including navigating disability eligibility with the VA. John thrived in communities, building and giving, with family members and friends nearby and across the country.

Even when ailing in the hospital, John befriended nurses, doctors, janitors, and physical therapists, and promised a summer full of sailboat excursions to everyone who agreed to his suggestion that they “do something really fun when I get out of here.” Everywhere he went he made new friends, exhibiting a level of openness and optimism that we can all mirror in his honor. He was immensely proud of his wife and children’s academic accomplishments, admiring and always supporting their careers in dental care, law, medicine, and business. He is also survived by his six beloved grandchildren, Abby, Ella, Anna, Reese, Viggo, and baby Alta, who he got to meet the day he passed. John was a remarkable man who will be dearly missed by all, and especially by his German Shorthaired Pointer Gertie. A celebration of life will be held at the Eugene Yacht Club at a later date.