BALDWIN — If you live in Baldwin, you probably knew David Ward.
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He was a retired truck driver for Hannaford Bros. who was known in town as the “wood guy.”
Surrounded by his family, Mr. Ward died Saturday in the same home on Pequawket Trail in which he’d been born. He was 73.
He was remembered Wednesday by friends and family as a strong, honest and hard-working guy who generously gave his time to help others.
The “wood guy” owned an 84-acre wood lot near his home, where he cut and stacked wood to sell.
His daughter Susan Gagnon of Litchfield said Wednesday that her father was happiest at home and working in the woods. She said he cut wood his whole life to heat his home.
“It gave him peace of mind and brought him back to a simpler way of life,” she said. “It’s where he was happiest. If he could give the wood away to people who needed it, it was a bonus for him.”
In the early 1980’s, he bought a tractor-trailer truck and worked for a company based in North Carolina for about 10 years, making deliveries to every state east of the Mississippi River. His daughter Wednesday recalled the summer trips she and her siblings took with him.
“It was a beautiful truck, really shiny,” she said. “I remember going through Amish country, and leaning out of the truck to look at two kids in a horse and buggy. I remember them leaning out of the buggy looking at me. … He was gone a lot growing up, but he enjoyed having us with him. He enjoyed being on the road so much.”
In 1991, he left the company to work closer to home. He took a job as a truck driver for Hannaford Bros., retiring in 2003.
Mr. Ward was active in the community and kept busy helping family and friends with projects. He was the caretaker of the family cemetery on Wards Hill Road. In recent years, he helped friends remodel Burnell Tavern.
“He just loved doing things for people in town,” his daughter said. “He would help anyone with house projects, even if he had his own projects. He put others’ needs before his own.”
Allan Dolloff, 74, a longtime friend and a member of the town’s Board of Selectmen, said Mr. Ward took pride in the town.
“When you got a pile of wood from him, you got more than your money’s worth,” Dolloff said. “He could be trusted. His word was good. We are losing one of our town’s most upright residents. It’s a huge loss to us. It’s like we are losing a very close friend.”
Mr. Ward was married to Joanne Ward and raised three children. The couple would have celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary next month.
“They were a great team,” his daughter said. “When my dad was on the road, she was Mom and Dad. They were really strong in their relationship.”
Mr. Ward was diagnosed with cancer in January and had surgery in May, but his health sharply declined last week. His wife, two daughters and some of his grandchildren were by his side when he died.
Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:
mcreamer@pressherald.com
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