Jonathon "Jon" Ward

On the morning of January 27, 2023, Jonathon Ward of Appleton passed away unexpectedly at the age of 69. Jon was born in 1953 to Donald and Norma Ward. He graduated from Dearborn High in 1971, and went on to earn his Bachelors Degree in Education from Wayne State University in 1979, and Masters equivalency in School Counseling in 1992 from Towson State University. His chosen career of teaching included five years with Milwaukee Public schools and 30 years with Baltimore City Public Schools. He retired in 2015.

In 1981 he met Michael Berndt, with whom he spent over 40 years. They moved from Milwaukee to Baltimore in 1985, marrying in Baltimore in 2013, and returned to Wisconsin in 2021.

Jon loved getting together with family and old friends, and meeting new people. In addition to daily crossword puzzles, he was an avid reader of travel writers. His music tastes ranged from Motown to blues and opera. Much of his spare time was devoted to gardening and biking around town, as well as cooking up a variety of world cuisines in the kitchen.

His love of animals led him to work with animal rescue groups in the Mid-Atlantic area. He was a geography buff and preferred to drive the back roads when traveling. Favorite vacations for Jon include New Orleans, Mexico, Canada, and anytime he could get two weeks at a lakeside cottage in Maine or Wisconsin.

He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Tom (TJ), and brother-in-law Larry Zbanek. He is survived by his spouse, Michael, his sister Donna (Zbanek), siblings-in-law, cousins, several nieces and nephews, and his Basset hounds, Gabriel and Pookie.

A memorial gathering will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2023 from 12:00 Noon until 3:00 pm at the Wichmann Funeral Home Downtown, 537 N. Superior St., Appleton WI 54911

Jon’s family would like to thank the caregivers at Ascension St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Appleton for the compassion and care they showed to Jon and Mike during this difficult time.