“Although death was becoming a common occurrence, and almost every day brought news of the death of some friend or relative, still the news of Homer Ward’s death shocked his many friends. It was hard to believe that a young man who had left home in the pink of health, could be so suddenly stricken with death.” (In the Service: The Great World War Honor Roll, Southwest Washington, 1920.) Lieutenant Homer Wilber Ward died of pneumonia at Base Hospital 53 in Marseilles, France on October 19, 1918. He is buried at Suresnes American Cemetery. (bit.ly/uw_ward) At the time he registered for the draft he was at Officer Training Camp at the Presidio in San Francisco.
Homer was one of five surviving children born to Wilber Solon Ward and his wife Lydia Ann Timmen. His twin sister was stillborn. Born in Concordia, Kansas, Homer’s parents moved to Centralia when he was young and he graduated from Centralia High School in 1909. He entered the UW in September of 1910 where he studied civil engineering and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. When war broke out Homer enlisted at once and was assigned to the forestry division of the 20th Engineers. He sailed for France on September 20, 1917, and on arrival was sent to Northern France to take charge of a saw mill. Promotions came rapidly and Homer had been commissioned as a First Lieutenant and was soon to be made Captain when he died.