Gary Lee Ward, 71, of Clermont, Florida, passed away in the presence of family on April 2, 2014. He was born in Los Angeles, California on September 23, 1942. Gary and and his late brother, William Ward, were raised by their grandparents, Chester and Lottie Rhodes, in Nokomis, Illinois. Gary graduated from Nokomis High School in 1960 and married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Morell, on December 1, 1963. They lived in Springfield, Illinois with their two children, Jeff and Stephannie for close to 20 years. Gary graduated, Summa Cum Laude, with an Associate's Degree in Computer Science from Lincoln Land Community College before relocating his family to Orlando, Florida in 1988. He and his wife moved to Clermont, Florida in 2000. Gary proudly served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War as well as the the Air National Guard where he completed a total of ten years of honorable military service as a Technical Sergeant. He also contributed to the magic of Walt Disney World, as a Computer Systems Technician, for 22 years. Gary was a Renaissance man who enjoyed many hobbies throughout his life: motorcycles, muscle cars, playing guitar, photography, golfing, fishing, stamp collecting, building computers, astronomy, R/C cars, bowling, and competing in pool tournaments. He was a passionate St. Louis Cardinals fan, an amateur jeweler, an avid reader, and a lifelong student of the world around him. Gary is survived by his wife Ruth, his son Jeff, his daughter Stephannie, and four grandchildren. A celebration of Gary's life will be held at the Apopka, Florida residence of Jeff and Heidi Ward on Sunday, April 13, 2014 from 1-5pm. Please contact Jeff Ward at 407.252.8745 for further details. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers a donation be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research or Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation in Tavares, Florida