More detail on this person: The local ABC store
lost a loyal customer on Saturday, December 27,
2014 when Thomas James "TJ" Ward took his final
flight with a new set of wings. He wanted it known
that he died as a result of being a stubborn SOB,
refusing to follow doctor's orders (none of that
"f*&!'ing low-sodium s*%^"), raising hell for more
than six decades, and living life to the fullest;
using up his nine lives by the end. His final
grocery list said it all: OJ, grapefruit juice,
weeds (cigarettes), and vitamin S (scotch).
TJ was born and raised in Wisconsin. After flight
school, he served in Vietnam as a Huey gunship
pilot with the 11th Armored Air Calvary
"Blackhorse" Regiment earning a Purple Heart,
Bronze Star and two Distinguished Flying Crosses
among others. After leaving the Army, he moved to
Northern Virginia where he worked for many years
with the FAA as an Aviation Safety Inspector and
flight instructor. He moved to Georgia and
Kentucky for several years - eventually returning
to Virginia to be close to his daughter. During
his make believe retirement (he would not sit
still), he worked for World Airways and Colgan Air
in the flight safety departments. TJ's real
retirement job was with the team at Goodwyn and
Sons in Powhatan. He adored the team he worked
with and considered them family - especially
"Young Chris" who tried (unsuccessfully) to keep
him in line. He talked often about sharing his
knowledge of tools and construction with customers
and mentoring his younger co-workers. One of his
famous quotes was "I want to work in a hardware
store so when I retire I can screw myself to
death."
He despised any food that claimed to be or
appeared healthy, and clutter. If you left a glass
unattended for more than five minutes in his
house, it was washed and put away when you
finally found it again.
TJ had many loves too. His only daughter Michelle
was his pride and joy. Michelle and Tom (as she
always called him) shared a love of laughing,
Snoopy, the EAA Oshkosh Air Show, Animal from
the Muppets and the Green Bay Packers. They are
both shareholders in the team. He was a Packers
fan for life - proudly wearing his jacket and
replica Super Bowl ring almost every day. The
morning of his passing, his final internet search
was the weather forecast for the Packers game on
Sunday. After acclimating to a life in "the
country," he became a huge fan of Duck Dynasty.
His "happy, happy, happy" cup was the only
acceptable replacement for his Packers cup. All of
his life, he was his own version of Tim the Tool
Man Taylor. He could fix or build just about
anything and owned almost every tool known to
man. He loved to "make woodchips." He and his
brother Lee had a tool competition system that
existed for decades. When one purchased a new
tool, bragging would ensue which resulted in the
other purchasing a newer, better version of the
same tool. TJ loved his adopted family Jason,
Dawn, and Carlynne and looked forward to their
poolside parties (because of their "hot friends
with nice knockers"), making his famous
shih-kabobs for dinner, and spoiling Carlynne with
chocolate.
All of us who knew and loved TJ will remember him
for his contagious smile, wicked sense of humor,
love of women, scotch, and his talent for telling
hilarious stories complete with sound effects. His
"throwing the stupid drunk camp chicken out of the
Huey in Vietnam" is a well-known classic.
His final request was to be buried at Arlington
National Cemetery with full military honors ("make
sure everyone cries like hell"), to be interred
above his dear friends Eddie and Richard "so I can
pee on their heads," and finally for everyone to
get "s*&-faced drunk in my honor."
TJ is survived by his daughter Michelle, his
brothers Lee, Rick ("Flash") and Larry; his
cousins Jim and John and nephew Brian. TJ's family
and friends will be invited to gather in 2015 to
honor his wishes, indulge in mandatory alcohol
consumption and celebrate the most colorful and
amazing dad, brother and friend any of us could
have had. Please contact Michelle for details at
snoeowl@yahoo.com. In lieu of flowers, TJ
requested that you make a sizable purchase at
your local ABC store and get lucky in style.
Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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