G. Ward Barstow

G. Ward Barstow -- father of nine, loving husband, World War II Army veteran, a state of Maryland retiree and senior Olympian -- died Monday at his home in Lancaster, PA. He was 95. The longtime Bel Air resident rode mopeds and bicycles well into his 90s. Ward, as he was affectionately called by his grandchildren, was a champion swimmer, routinely entering and winning county, state and national swimming titles through Senior Olympics programs. He specialized in long-distance swimming, where his expert stroke and breathing techniques allowed him to triumph over much younger competitors. Always graceful in defeat and modest in victory, Ward was his own toughest competitor, keeping detailed logs of his swimming times that he enthusiastically sought to top. His self-effacing sense of humor once led him to pose for a marketing magazine produced by his retirement community, Willow Valley in Lancaster, PA. The magazine cover photo depicted Barstow grinning broadly as he rode his moped while sporting a Superman T-shirt. Ward was the son of the late Arthur Francis Barstow and Cora Allewalt. He was born in Baltimore and raised in Glyndon, MD, where he attended Franklin High School and Calvert Hall. He was studying biology, with the hopes of becoming a veterinarian, at the University of Montreal in Canada when he went into the Army during World War II shortly after Pearl Harbor. As a member of the Army engineers, he was stationed in areas of India that are present day Pakistan, where he helped build airport runways. He also helped build and defend airports during the invasion of Okinawa. After the war, Ward entered the University of Maryland where he studied agriculture, graduating in 1950. He started a career in public health that led to involvement with the production of modern landfilling technologies before his retirement in 1977. In 1949, he married the late Mary Veronica Medairy, who would go on to graduate from the University of Maryland Medical School in 1950, one of only two women to graduate from the medical school that year. They had nine children, three of whom died young. Christopher Ward Barstow died tragically shortly after graduating from John Carroll High School in Bel Air, MD in 1969. Two daughters, Mary Rebecca and Rebecca Ann, both died of birth defects. Two sisters, Mary Louise “Mickey” Barstow and Mary Frances Waskevich, both of the Baltimore area, died before him. Ward is survived by his eldest daughter, Mary “Sue” Barstow Fox of Bel Air, MD, and her husband, Clarke Fox, and five sons: Stephen David Barstow of Halethorpe, MD, and his partner Bob Tinsley; Arthur Francis Barstow II of Billerica, MA, and his wife, Lynn Kelly Barstow; George “Doc” Medairy Barstow of Bel Air, and his wife, Sandy Byrne Barstow; Thomas Allewalt Barstow of York, PA, and his wife Ivelisse DeJesus Barstow; and Patrick Hilton Barstow of Pylesville, MD, and his wife Jennifer Roemer Barstow. He also is survived by two sisters, Betty Gillman of Los Angeles, CA, and Christine Barber of Lafayette, CA. Ward has 12 grandchildren and seven great-grand children. A celebration of Ward’s life will be held 9 a.m. Saturday at St. Margaret’s Church at 141 N. Hickory Ave. in Bel Air, MD, followed by a Catholic Mass at 10 a.m. in the church chapel. His burial will follow at Bel Air Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Catholic Charities USA; P.O. Box 17066, Baltimore, MD, 21297-1066.

G. Ward Barstow

November 24, 2015