Alfred (Al) Neil Ward
Alfred (Al) Ward Obituary
Alfred (Al) Neil Ward, born in Ossining to Dorothy and Alfred H. Ward on July 11, 1940, died peacefully on July 26, 2021 at his home in Croton.
Al went through the Ossining schools and then attended Westchester Community College after which he began a career as a design draftsman. He was married to Carole Ann Byers (predeceased April 11, 2021) of Croton on September 10, 1960 with whom he started his family becoming a father to James and Paul, and became a lifelong Croton resident.
Throughout his life he was an avid learner, always reading and taking on new hobbies. He was an accomplished musician playing keyboards and guitar, and also tried his hand at the banjo and bagpipes which he played with the Blackthorn Pipe Band even attending a NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He played with multiple cover bands through the years primarily as a rhythm guitarist focusing on “oldies” (although they weren’t old at the time) and country and western. He played at the 1963 Worlds Fair and continued playing guitar and/or keyboards up through 2020. Tangentially during James’ and Paul’s school years he also had a piano tuning and repair company and taught guitar. Apart from his musical talents he was also a craftsman in wood, leather and glass. He forever spent time improving and enhancing the features of his home as well as making beautiful leather craft projects such as belts, pocketbooks, key fobs, etc., and his latest undertaking and last hobby of creating stained glass sun catchers.
He was very involved with the Boy Scouts as his sons went through the program from Cub Scouts through to Explorers. Among many other scouting skills, he taught the kids gun safety and target shooting primarily at the Police range in Croton. During this time, he was also a member of the Croton auxiliary police. As James and Paul were finishing college he decided to return to formal education to get his bachelors degree from Pace University.
Around this time he and Carole endeavored into the world of boating when they purchased their boat “The Road Not Taken” They spent many hours, days and extended trips on their boat with family and friends. They attended the 1986 grand reopening of the Statue of Liberty in the New York harbor and made countless trips on the Hudson and through the New York canals. This turned out to be a good education in “living little” as they traded in their boat for an RV and began traveling the US. They eventually took up their second residence near Disney and everything Mickey as they became snowbirds between Croton and Clermont
After a long career working as a draftsman for such varied companies as Burnham, Stouffer Chemical and Nestlé, Al finished his career at Werner & Pfleiderer where he began working with computer aided design and finally managing their CAD department as he retired after 30 years.
Al is survived by his sons James (Gail) and Paul (Nancy), granddaughters Rachel, Jenna, Erin and Leslie, and great granddaughter Anastasia.
Arrangements will be through Leach & Thomas Funeral Home with a private burial at Bethel Cemetery in Croton on Hudson, NY.
LEACH & THOMAS FUNERAL HOME
45 S. Highland Ave
Ossining, New York 10562
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