Janet Marie Ward

Janet Ward, 96, passed away in her sleep on January 20,2026. She was preceded in death by her parents Hubert and Leta, her husband Bob, daughter Judy (Martin) and brother Eddie (Ruth). She will be missed by her daughters Merna (Robert), Susie (Stewart), and Mary (Webb). She had 4 grandchildren - Darren (Frances), Lorissa (Dale), Casey and Derek (Jenny) and 4 great grandchildren - Cooper, Zali, Klay and Eleanor. She is survived by her brother George (June) and sister Elizabeth (George) and fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and friends of all ages. Janet was born in Illinois. After studying nursing at the University of Illinois, she married Bob. She worked at Collin's Radio in Cedar Rapides, Iowa. Bob was with the railroad but after joining the Air Force they were stationed at England Air Force Base in Alexandria, Louisiana during the Korean conflict. They made lifelong friends with their landlords in Pineville, John El and Mena David. After traveling for a year following discharge from the military, they rented a dairy farm in Center Point, Iowa from Glen and Pauline Hoagland, all the while considering either moving to Central Louisiana or homesteading in Argentina. Bob was unable to learn other languages and was concerned about his property being confiscated during civil unrest, which was a real possibility 70 years ago. They were able to rent another dairy farm from Elbert and Claudia Hickman on Highway 71 near LeCompte, Louisiana which had been part of Chambers Plantation until 1878. They knew at that time that Highway 71 would be expanded as part of the I-49 interstate project and 5 years later were able to buy a 300-acre farm 13 miles in back of there from Mrs. Daisy Laird. People thought they were poor but, in the meantime, they paid off that mortgage in 10 years. They loved living in LeCompte. Bob declared he would rather be warm and starve than cold and starve. They were very involved in community and church activities with the parish fair and 4-H. Janet worked for a time at the cotton gin in Alexandria but for the most part was a volunteer with the parish library and united Methodist women’s organization. She loved reading, gardening, bird watching, listening to music, and keeping up with current events on NPR. She did not miss it when television went digital and avoided computers at all costs. She was very enthusiastic about Louisiana history and culture and enjoyed bringing visitors to tour Avery Island or try out a new restaurant in Opelousas. She loved traveling, went to Australia 4 times plus when the grandchildren were 12, she went to Australia and brought them here for an extended car trip around the USA in the case of Darren and Lorissa or brought Casey to Australia for an extended holiday. She really loved car trips with Bob although he was not a fan of her holding maps upside down to keep up with where they were - camping in the southwest or a tour of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, DC. She was the first to discover a new festival like the Louisiana Book festival or the Natchitoches Folk Life festival, Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Festival International in Lafayette and loved checking it out with as many family members as could fit into the car. She did not hesitate to make the trip back to Iowa via the Grand Canyon and Royal Gorge to celebrate any and all occasions with relatives. Bob declared if he was reincarnated, he hoped to come back as one of the baby calves she nursed back to health on the farm. She had a great imagination and was resourceful. She was a champion at bartering livestock and produce to furniture and cars. She was an inveterate shopper of bargains; found the perfect thoughtful gift for everyone she knew except sometimes forgot where she had hidden it in her little house. She was very stubborn. She put other before herself at all times. She lived her life the way she wanted it to be and was very very happy. She is descended from William Bradford Ill, governor of Plymouth Colonies beginning in 1621 as well as Captain Samuel Haley who is famous for finding 3 bars of silver in 1804 that had been buried on the Isles of Shoals by the pirate Bluebeard on his last honeymoon off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. If ordering flowers, we recommend calling our local florist directly: Crystal Springs Wright's Florist 601-892-2891 Clear Creek Flowers 601-892-0070 Hazlehurst Five 54 Floral 601-894-5524

Janet Marie Ward

December 25, 1929 - January 20, 2026

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Janet Marie Ward

December 25, 1929 - January 20, 2026

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