The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribiunemedia.net

THE talented Ford family lost another piece of its heritage with the death of Wardy Ford on Wednesday night at their homestead on Winsdor Lane.

The 66-year-old former cricket, baseball and softball player, also known as “Shakespeare,” was remembered by his brothers not only for his performance on the field, but also in the kitchen as a cook at their home.

“I remember Wardy when I used to be the bat boy for them at Balmoral in softball when they played between the government ground or Southern Recreation Ground,” Mario Ford said.

“They used to wear the blue and yellow uniform. Wardy used to play the infield at that time in softball. I also remembered when we used to walk to the baseball park and I was the bat boy for St Bernard’s junior baseball team.

“I remembered when he used to play with (Anthony) ‘Rake-And-Scrape’ Bowe, the late Leroy Rahming, John Wallace, Maurice Tynes, Brother John Williams, Peter Bethell.”

Marion Ford said Wardy Ford also played cricket with St Bernard’s cricket team where he was a middle pace bowler, who also played first and could hit the ball.

“Back in the day they used to have the mat,” Mario recalled. “One time the ball bounced and hit Wardy right in his face. That was when they played without helmets.

One of the things that will also stick out in Mario Ford’s memory is no matter what time they came home from the games in the night, they could also count on Wardy to find some food to cook for them to eat. “He was always a happy guy. He tried to help people whenever he could,” Mario Ford.

“He lived his life. He had his friends who came around and he had a lot of his friends from Atlantis, where he was a security, to visit him during his illness.

“We’re taking it pretty well because we knew what his ailment was and we were there dealing with him,” Mario Ford said. “His sister Linda Ford was there with him all the time and we popped in from time to time to see how he was doing to keep him comfortable.”

Eddie Ford, the oldest brother alive, said they all grew up on Windsor Park playing with a tennis ball that they used for cricket, baseball and softball and they also ran track and field.

“Wardy tried to play a little basketball, but he didn’t do it too much. He was more into cricket, baseball and softball,” Eddie Ford said. “Some of his years, he played with St Bernard’s and was sometimes their open batsman.

“He was a very good fielder who played the boundaries because he could catch good. He had a live arm. In softball, he played with several teams when they just had the commercial league and the hotel league playing with PDS and one or two other teams. He started baseball with St Bernard’s pitching and playing infield.”

Eddie Ford said he also remembers Wardy Ford playing field hockey. But he said it was a difficult time for the family during the final stages of his life.

“He was always painful, so it’s a relief for the family that he doesn’t have to go through all of that pain and suffering,” he stated. “It was unbearable what he was going through and there wasn’t anything that we as a family could do to help him.”

Andy ‘Smudge’ Ford, the youngest sibling, said he came along when Wardy Ford was on his way out. “He was a good cricketer. He played baseball as a pitcher, but he loved cricket,” Andy Ford said. “But I remembered Wardy more as a businessman.

“When I came on the scene, he was a manager at PDS, the leading Package Delivery Service in the country. From PDS, he always strides to be something big in the business world. He and his partner Keith Leach had some big plans that didn’t come through.

“So Wardy went to work at Atlantis. He took his job very seriously. He was one of the leading security officers over there. He knew his bookwork. So while we were remembered more for playing sports, I will also remember him more for his business attitude that he developed.”

Eddie Ford said they used to call Wardy Ford ‘Shakespeare” because he was always advising people on life and he also loved to cook for his family and friends.

In addition to the brothers, Ford’s other immediate survivors include his three sons Delvonne and Jeff Ford and Jason Cooper, mother Florence Ford and Keith Ford.

In addition to losing their father, premier cricketer Percival Ford, the Ford family also lost major league baseball player Wenty Ford and baseball/softball player Kevin ‘Eyes’ Ford.

Funeral services have been arranged for 11am Saturday, March 11 at St Agnes Anglican Church.