James Kenneth Ward died peacefully at his home surrounded by family on Sunday, April 28, 2013. Ken was born on June 10, 1938 in Belton, Texas to J.T. Ward and Hazel Keetch Ward. Ken graduated from Belton High School in 1956 and attended the University of North Texas on a basketball scholarship. He graduated from UNT in 1960 with a degree in banking and finance. His first job was as a federal bank examiner working out of the Dallas office. In 1963 he became the operations officer for Citizens National Bank in Ennis, Texas. In his twenties he became president of Citizens National Bank serving from 1967 to 1985. During this time he was a community leader encouraging industrial development and growth in Ennis. He had an amazing entrepreneurial spirit, which brought industry and jobs to Ellis County. In 1971 Governor Dolph Briscoe chose Ken as the Industrial Developer of the Year for the state of Texas. Due to end-stage renal disease, in 1986 Ken, receiving a kidney from his oldest son Kevin, had a kidney transplant. After the transplant Ken lived 27 years doing the things he loved. In the late 80’s he became active in real estate and property development. He enjoyed playing golf, riding his bike, and taking cruises with his wife. Ken is survived by his loving wife of 38 years Janet Todd Ward, his sons Kevin Kenneth Ward, Gregory Graves Ward, William Gary Ward, and grandson Nicklaus Gregory Ward, all of Dallas. In addition, he is survived by his younger siblings Bill Ward of Dallas and Betty Martinez of San Angelo. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 1 at 2 PM at Good Shepherd Anglican Church, 915 Old Straus Road, Cedar Hill, TX 75104. There will be a reception following the service in the Parrish Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials may be made to the YMCA or Salvation Army of Dallas. For additional information and to sign the online guestbook, please visit the website at www.hughes3.com.
