Judee (Wisecarver) Ward, Linfield Class of 1959
Sept. 20, 1937-Aug. 14, 2022
Judee (Wisecarver) Ward passed away on August 14th, 2022, at Salem Hospital, surrounded by family and friends.
She was born Sept. 20, 1937, in McMinnville, to Irwin James and Gladys (Martin) Wisecarver and grew up on their farm near town.
Judee began her lifelong passion for Wildcat football as one of the team’s five Linfield Song Leaders during the 1956-1957 season, braving Maxwell Field’s muddy track to pump up the home crowd. It was there that she met Paul Ward, a four-year football letterman who played on the first team of Linfield’s 65-year streak of winning seasons.
Judee and Paul (both Linfield College Class of 1959) married on April 18, 1959, beginning a 63-year partnership that would focus on support for local youth and athletics, community service, fundraising and charitable giving.
Over the years the couple received many awards and accolades for their generous contributions of time and money, including those from the Dallas (Oregon) Chamber of Commerce, Dallas High School, Dallas Booster Club and Linfield TopCat Club.
A recent Dallas Itemizer-Observer newspaper article, announcing the upcoming renaming of the high school track in their honor “The Paul and Judee Ward Track,” cited Judee as “a central figure at Dallas sports events.” The article continued, “Paul and Judee have dedicated their whole life to the kids in Dallas and to Dallas athletics.”
For 14 years, Judee served as faculty advisor for the student annual and taught English, drama, speech and oral expression at Dallas Junior High School.
Her dedication to her students, however, didn’t end when they left her classroom. She stayed in contact with and mentored many of them long after they’d graduated, closely following their family lives and careers, remembering all the names of their spouses and children. Over the years she and Paul took in several youths in need of help, nurturing and guiding them to a brighter future.
Judee’s numerous friends and family members remember her open-hearted kindness, inclusivity, generosity and humor.
She had a special gift for putting people around her at ease, always finding a way to make them feel better about themselves.
Judee was invariably funny and self-deprecating, characterizing herself as “the third from the last whenever they were choosing up sides in P.E. class.”
She often laced her conversations with colorful, somewhat “salty” language and referred to herself as “a crusty old broad.” (Paul christened three of his vessels “Grumpy J” to honor her cantankerousness.)
When asked what her favorite interests or hobbies were, Paul wryly observed, “If something was on sale, it immediately became a hobby!”
Judee is survived by her husband Paul Ward, sister-in-law Adrienne (Warren) Castle and nephew Steven Ward (Mariela) of Dallas, Oregon; brother-in-law Grant Ward (Alice) of La Marque Texas, and brother-in-law Jack Ward of Porterville, California. She is also survived by several nieces, nephews and cousins.
A celebration of Judee's life will be held at Dallas City Park at the Seibert/Fredrickson Memorial Shelter, 690 SW Brandvold Drive on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.
Source: Macy and Son funeral home, McMinnville
....
Posted online to Judee’s online obituary “Tribute Wall” from Macy and Son funeral home, McMinnville
From Arlene Venneman on 8/22/2022
“Judee was one of my favorite
people. She began as a customer at Grocery Outlet in the wine department but
ended as a friend who I looked forward to seeing and talking to. She was always
joyus and full of stories about her beloved Linfield Wildcats..her life
adventures and everything in between. I was so sad to hear of her passing and I
wish her husband and family peace and joy. So thrilled that I got to know her.”
Steve Gilkison on 8/28/2022
"I am so sad to learn of Judee’s passing. I was a student of Judee’s nearly 50 years ago. She was a special teacher and mentor who took extra time for me during some difficult times. She probably never knew the positive influence she and Paul had on me, but it was greatly appreciated. My deepest condolences to Judee’s husband Paul and her family."
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Links to stories at Wildcatville blog:
Before today’s Wildcat (logo), there were other Wildcats. This
is about one of them. Judee Ward tells the story
http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2014/03/before-wildcat-logo-there-were-other.html
Source:
Wildcatville, March 24, 2014
Here's to Cat fan Paul Ward
http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2015/08/heres-to-cat-fan-paul-ward.html
Source: Wildcatville,
Aug. 4, 2015
Among stadiums, fields, street, statue and more honor
Linfielders is Paul and Judee Ward at Dallas, Oregon, High School
http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2017/10/stadiums-fields-street-statue-and-more.html
Source: Wildcatville.
::::
Dallas High School renames track honoring supporters Paul and Judee Ward
By Steve Brandon June 8, 2022, in Dallas, Oregon, Itemizer-Observer newspaper
A special night is only three months away for a couple that has been very special to Dallas High athletics.
On Sept. 9,
when Dallas plays host to McKay in football, the school will make this an
official name: Paul and Judee Ward Track.
Having gained school board approval, the athletic department and Dallas supporters will show their appreciation for the Wards by naming the track in their honor.
There’s a long,
long list of things the Wards have done for the school and its athletes over
the years.
“There was
nothing they didn’t do,” said Kathy Voves, one of those spearheading the track
name decision and planning for Sept. 9.
Paul Ward came
to Dallas as the head track coach and, while serving in that role, did numerous
other tasks for the Dragons. He coached football as the head man, as a varsity
assistant and as the junior varsity coach. He also has volunteered for Kids,
Inc., and broadcast Dallas football games on radio and television.
Wife Judee has
been a central and regular figure at Dallas sports events, as well, helping in
a variety of ways.
The Wards have
supported fundraisers, supplying crab and fish for meals, and helped sponsor
benefit golf tournaments, with Judee planning and coordinating meals.
“Paul and Judee
have dedicated their whole life to the kids in Dallas and to Dallas athletics,”
Voves said. “Anytime anything needs to be done, they always step up.”
The Wards have
helped the Dallas Booster Club and been key to the success of major projects,
such as track improvements, a scoreboard and a baseball pitching machine.
The words “Paul and Judee Ward Track” will go in one of the lanes on the high school track, and a bronze plaque with their photo will be placed on an elevated bench at the north end of the track.
On Sept. 9, the
festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m., with a social time and snacks and drinks
in the cafeteria. A handful of people will speak about the Wards, and an open
mike will allow others to comment on the Wards’ impact.
The dedication
will take place during halftime, with more speakers.
::::
The sale of
Paul and Judee Ward's boat is Dallas' gain: Their donation for a new scoreboard
at Gallaspy Field at Dallas High School is an all-around winner
July 17, 2008, in Dallas, Oregon, Itemizer-Observer newspaper
Longtime Dallas residents Paul and Judee Ward recently donated about $100,000 to help replace the high school's aging scoreboard at Gallaspy Field.
The
generous gesture can be viewed as a win-win situation because the school gets
to replace a scoreboard that's clearly past its prime and the Wards get a
significant tax break with the Internal Revenue Service.
Upon
closer inspection, though, the move could be called a win-win-win-win
situation.
First
of all, it's likely no one will enjoy the new scoreboard more than Paul Ward, a
former DHS coach who now serves as a commentator for radio and television
broadcasts of Dallas football games.
"The
thing I like is that it'll upgrade football and it'll upgrade track
meets," Paul Ward said. "It helps the public, and it helps me because
I get to watch it. Where the scoreboard is now, you have to stick your head out
of the window (of the press box) to see it. Now, we'll be able to see it. You
should have some home-field advantages."
And
the money for the gift came from the sale of an 83-foot commercial fishing
vessel -- the Grumpy J -- that will not be missed.
"It
was becoming a bigger headache every year with all the restrictions and
requirements they put you through," Paul Ward said. "They got a good
deal on the boat. I got a good deal because it's out of my hair, and I got way
more than I paid for it."
The
new scoreboard will be similar to the one at Linfield's Maxwell Field. It will
have a screen capable of showing video (but not in-game replays) and various
statistics. It will display the usual information -- score, down, etc., -- and
will be topped by a fire-breathing rendition of Dexter the Dragon.
For
track and field, the board is capable of showing places, names and times. The
school, though, will have to come up with an additional $5,000-$10,000 for an
automated timing system to make the scoreboard fully functional.
"We
knew this was something that's been needed for a long time," Judee Ward
said. "It's really evident during the track season. Basically, all the
other schools in our league have scoreboards that show times and everything.
This is going to be modern technology at its best. It's going to be exciting.
Go Dragons go."
The
new scoreboard will be situated in the southeast corner of the field rather
than the southwest, which will make it easier to see from the home side of the
field.
Athletic
director Grant Boustead said the installation will begin in late August. It's
unknown whether the new scoreboard will be ready for the Aug. 29 season opener
against Springfield.
The
old scoreboard, installed sometime in the early 1980s, will remain in place
until the new one is operational.
"Obviously,
their generosity is just amazing," Boustead said of the Wards. "But
they've been longtime devoted Dallas backers so it isn't surprising they would
step up and make this kind of contribution. We depend a lot on people like the
Wards when we have big needs the school district cannot cover."
And
the Wards were happy to trade in the boat named "J" for Judee (who
isn't really grumpy) for a new scoreboard. But they are a bit miffed the new
owners painted it blue instead of the black and orange (Dallas colors) they
favored.
"Paul's
heart is in it, and mine is too," Judee Ward said of the couple's ties to
Dallas High School. "Why donate it when you're dead? Having been in the
teaching field, I can tell you two years after you're gone, nobody knows who
you are."
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PHOTO: When fans wearing masks at Linfield home football games was required, among those in Memorial Stadium watching and cheering on the Wildcats were Paul and Judee Ward. Photo by Wildcatville at Sept. 11, 2021, Simon Fraser at Linfield football game. Linfield won, 56-20
INFO: The 1925 edition of the Lincolnian student yearbook of McMinnville High School reported about Judee (Wisecarver) Ward's father, Irwin Wisecarver: "On January 5, 1925, Paul Warren resigned from the office of yell leader, so Irwin Wisecarver, his assistant, was unanimously elected in his place."
