Maxine (Sanders) Ward

Maxine Sanders Campbell Ward was born in Clay Co and attended public school in Fort Gaines until the family moved to a new farm in Randolph Co. She graduated from Cuthbert High School as a member of the class of 1939. She then moved to Columbus where she attended business school and worked for Columbus Bank and Trust. While in Columbus, she met and married her first husband, Lt. William Campbell, and lived with him in the officer’s housing on base at Ft. Benning.  When he deployed to the Pacific Theater, she returned to the family farm.  Lt. Campbell was killed in action less than a year after they were married.

A year or so later while still living at the family farm, she was courted by and married Hamp Ward, Jr.  They lived in Columbus for a short time before moving back to Cuthbert to live in the Ward family home.  Her marriage to Hamp lasted over sixty years until his death.

It was in Cuthbert that she made her life as a wife, mother, homemaker, business woman, master gardener and caregiver.  During this time, she was the first local employee of Kellwood, worked at First State Bank and finally as bookkeeper and business partner at WH Ward & Sons Hardware until retirement. She and Hamp traveled extensively with dear friends mostly on the east coast and she and Barbara McClendon made a memorable trip to Europe.

Maxine is preceded in death by her parents, Griggs Sanders and Ollie Mae Pearce; husbands, William Campbell and Hamp Ward, Jr.; a brother, Wallace; sisters, Meda (child of the home), Melba Fain (George, dec.) and Mary Holleman (Berrnard, dec.); and beloved daughter-in-law, Trice. She was a member of the Cuthbert First Baptist Church where she served as children’s Sunday School Teacher, Church Outreach Director, WMU leader and was a member of the Winsome Sunday School Class. She had a passion for gardening and flower arranging. She won many blue ribbons in horticulture and design in area flower shows. She was a charter member of the Camellia Garden Club and a former Magnolia District Director.   

She is survived by sons Bill (Joan), Hamp (Mickie) and Griggs; Nan, mother of her grandson; grandson, Trent (Laura)Ward; granddaughters Avra (Dustin) Gilleland, Katie (Taylor) Sikes, Cissy Hattaway, Jenny (Aaron) Kasper and Channing Koonce; great granddaughters Taylor Hamm, Catherine Ward, Abigail Ward, and Harper Sikes; great grandsons Hampton Gilleland, Hayes Gilleland, Hayden Hattaway, Jackson Sikes, Jack Kasper and Sam Kasper and a very close niece: Ora Jane Sawyer.

Funeral services will be conducted on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 2:00 PM in the Cuthbert First Baptist Church with interment to follow in East View Cemetery. Rev. Ben Crowdis will officiate.

The family will receive friends on Monday from 6:00 until 8:00 PM at the funeral home.

LUNSFORD FUNERAL HOME

CUTHBERT, GA 229/732-2148

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