On Friday, December 2, Elizabeth Flor Ward passed away at home in Denver, Colorado, just three weeks shy of her 78th birthday.
Born December 21, 1938, Beth was the oldest child of Raymond and Bernice Flor of Buffalo, New York. At the age of nine, Beth contracted the polio virus and with the aid of newly emerging physical therapy techniques, made a complete recovery. In 1960, she graduated from the University of Buffalo School Of Nursing and married Army officer Thomas A. Ward. As an Army wife, Beth most enjoyed living and traveling in Europe where she could research her family’s German heritage and perfect her skill with German cuisine. Following their divorce, Beth raised and educated three children with the help of a wonderful network of friends and family. She went on to graduate study in anesthesiology and became qualified as a nurse anesthetist, enjoying a long and successful career. With grown children, and parenting responsibilities behind her, Beth met her true life partner, Carl Sullivan. They spent 25 wonderful years together enjoying travel, family and good food. A great lover of books and baking, Beth shared favorite reads and family recipes with her loved ones and circle of friends. Her sparkling literary and culinary legacy lives on in her children and grandchildren. She will be greatly missed.
Beth is survived by her loving partner, Carl Sullivan, her three children, Thomas A. Ward, Jr., Timothy P. Ward, and Susan Ward Eggerton; their spouses, Albert Eggerton and Jennifer Ward, and five grandchildren. Also surviving is her sister Mary Alexander of Buffalo, New York.
A private remembrance will be held with friends and family.
When I first met Beth, I was so impressed with her taste in beer - this was a lady that liked a full bodied brew. She used to tell stories about how she would sit on the back step with her Dad at the end of the day. He would enjoy a cold beer and offered her a sip. She was truly a "Daddy's Girl" and loved her special time with her Dad.
As Beth became an adult, her beer palate was further refined by her time as an Army wife in Germany, where good beer was enjoyed at each special family occasion, hot summer days, and sometimes 'just because'. As her kids became adults, that discerning beer palate continued in the next generation. When I first met Tim, he barely suppressed a shudder the first time I ordered a bud light. Nope, for the Ward family, a beer was a fine beverage to be savored, honoring the perfect balance of hops and barley.
During one of the Eggerton's visits to Denver, we decided to enjoy some of Denver's finest on a "Brews Cruise" - a tour of some of Denver's best breweries with an old yellow school bus as transportation. Beth loved it (as did we) and we had such a wonderful day enjoying each other's company, telling stories, and laughing till our sides hurt.
Beth was that type of Mother in Law that invited fun. Spending time with her and Carl was always enjoyable, filled with lots of laughs, love....and often a really good beer. Cheers to you Beth - the best Mother in Law a gal could have ever asked for.
Beth and I enjoyed decorating and rearranging rooms to give them a fresh look. Beth sold our talents and we gained out first client. We rearranged our clients condo to where we thought it looked great! We gave her a sunroom that was previously unused, anad were very pleased with our work. We got paid and left happy. 2 days later the entire condo was moved back to how it was before. Our carreer was short lived.
