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John Ward was born in Hendon in January 1933. Soon afterwards, the family moved to Paris where his father worked for Unilever. In 1940, as the German army advanced on the city, his parents packed everything they could into their Buick car and raced to the coast. Abandoning the car beside the dock, the family got the "last boat" back to England.
John then went to Clarement Prep school near Hastings before going on to Lancing, where he was Head’s House Captain in 1950.
After school, John did his National Service at Eaton Hall in Cheshire and progressed to Acting Captain. He spent most of his working life in sales, firstly with the Walls meat company, later with Mr Kipling Cakes and finally with an office supplies firm.
He was a keen gardener, enjoyed photography and very much liked visiting National Trust country houses and gardens, no doubt seeking inspiration for his own plot although that was, of course, on a smaller scale!
In the 1970s, John took his wife and son on several holidays to Austria where he perfected yodelling while hiking in the mountains.
John was a keen and dedicated Old Boy of Lancing, regularly wearing his "OL Tie", and thoroughly enjoyed attending the school's Open Days.
Sadly he suffered a stroke just before Christmas and passed away 3 weeks later, a few days before this 89th birthday. His family were beside him at the end.
John is survived by his wife Angelika, son Stephen, daughter-in-law Renata, and granddaughter Amber.
Stephen Ward