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Mary Etta Ward, of Bryan, passed away at age 99 on Friday, May 3, 2013 at The Inns & Villas at Fountain Park. She was born on June 1, 1913 in Delaware, Ohio to Margaret (Dix) and W.O. Ziegler. Following graduation from Brown High School in Kilbourne, Ohio, she attended the University of Toledo, where she met her future husband Howard. They were married in Ashley, Ohio in 1934.
In 1958, she enrolled in Defiance College where she received her Bachelor of Science degree. She later earned her Master of Science degree in mathematics from St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1972, she published an article in The Arithmetic Teacher titled “The Semantics of Mathematics.”
Mary Etta taught for twenty years as a math teacher in the Bryan High School. Her tenure there was followed by years of volunteering at Washington Elementary School, Pulaski schools, Bryan Hospital and The Enrichment Center.
She was an avid bridge player, achieving her Life Masters in 1999 and winning many club championships at Orchard Hills Country Club. She loved to play golf and was an active member of OHCC for many years. A firm believer in exercise, she was a charter member of the Bryan YWCA. When she and Howard first came to Bryan in 1947, they were introduced to the community by the Welcome Club, and she retained her ties with that organization throughout her life. She and Howard were members of the First Presbyterian Church in Bryan.
Mary Eta is survived by her three sons, T.A. (Judy) Ward of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bob Ward of Greenbrae, California and Jim Ward of Seattle, Washington; her daughter, Judy (Alan) Miller of Seattle, Washington; six grandchildren, T.A. (Fran) Ward II, Michael Ward, Michael Miller, Judson (Marcy) Miller, Andrew (Svea) Miller and Tyler Miller; five great-grandchildren, Tommy Ward, Lauren Ward, Anja Sorenson, Solomon Miller and Ethan Miller; one sister, MaeBelle Henry of Delaware, Ohio.
She was preceded in death by her devoted husband, two brothers, Dale and Peres Ziegler and one sister, Martha Howison.
The family of Mary Etta would like to thank – and is forever grateful to – the kind and caring staff at Fountain Park and all of the friends who cared for her and were part of her life in Bryan.
Funeral services for Mary Etta Ward will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at the First Presbyterian Church, 506 Oxford Drive, Bryan with Pastor Barry Sweet officiating. Interment will follow in Shiffler Cemetery, rural Bryan. The family will receive friends and family one hour prior to the service on Tuesday at the church. Arrangements are under the care of Oberlin-Turnbull Funeral Home, Bryan.