Obituary: Shirley Owings Ward

For The Madera Tribune

Shirley Owings Ward.

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Shirley was born to Violet and Eugene Owings in 1932 in Walker County, Missouri. At nine months of age, her parents moved back to Payette, Idaho, where her sister was born. The family moved to northeast Oregon in 1938, where her two brothers were born. Shirley was the eldest of four children.

Upon graduation from high school in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, in 1950, she came to Coalinga, California, to attend Coalinga Jr. College (West Hills College). On Sept. 5, 1952, she married Mark Leonard Ward of Lemoore, who was attending Fresno State College (California State University, Fresno). After his graduation, the couple and their oldest son, Bill, moved to the mining town of Idria where Mark was employed as a geologist. She had two more sons — Philip, in 1956, and James, in 1959. In 1960, they moved to Ouray, Colorado, where Mark was the Chief Engineer at the Camp Bird Mine. When the mine closed in 1963, they moved back to Fresno for one year and then back to Idria, where they stayed until 1977, when the mine was sold. In 1978, the family moved to Madera. 

She was a school bus driver for four years (from 1973-1977) for the Coalinga School District. In 1973, she completed her education and obtained an AA degree from West Hills College. She was a school bus driver trainer/instructor for Madera Unified for 18 years, until her retirement in 1995. 

Shirley loved to travel and visited more than 70 countries, including Africa, and many Asian and South American countries. Her travels also included Egypt, Easter Island, Galapagos Islands, Greece, Hawaii, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Scotland and many other European countries. 

Shirley was a charter member of the Heart of California Quilt Guild, and loved to make quilts for her family and for display. She loved to photograph her travels, as well as creative, and nature subjects. She was a member of the Madera Camera Club, San Joaquin Valley Council, Gold Rush Chapter, and the Photographic Society of America. She was awarded her Associate in PSA in 2000, and her FPSA (Fellow) in 2007, her EPSA (Excellence) in the International Photographic Exhibitions in 2010. She received many awards and medals for her entries in the exhibitions as well as the Madera District Fair. She was very active in the photographic field, giving numerous slide programs, workshops and lectures, as well as judging. She was chairman of the San Joaquin Valley International Exhibition for 17 years. 

Shirley is survived by her sons Philip Ward and his wife, Debbie, of Fresno, and James Ward and his wife, Debbie, of Prather; four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; three nieces, two nephews, and a large extended family. She was preceded in death by Mark, her husband of 65 years, her oldest son, Bill, her sister, Laurie Valbush, and brothers Darrell Owings and Julian Owings.