09/18/2026
Jimmy Ray Ward, 89, of Center passed away September 17, 2026, at home on his farm with family present.
Funeral service will be held at 2PM on Sunday, September 20, 2026, at Mangum Funeral Home with Bro. LD Eddins officiating. Interment will follow at Waterman Cemetery.
Visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 12PM until service time.
Jimmy was born on August 14, 1937, in Tyler, TX, Smith County to John Brady Ward II and Myrtle Ruth Connell Ward. Jimmy graduated from John Tyler High School in 1956. While attending Stephen F. Austin, Jimmy rode a bronc in the first ever SFA rodeo and worked as a bell hop at the Fredonia Hotel in Nacogdoches, TX. There he met Sherry Ann Yarborough, a red headed beauty from Shelby County who also worked at the hotel as a book keeper. After a brief courtship, they married on December 21, 1958, and their marriage would last for over 64 years until she proceeded him in death.
Jimmy and Sherry made their home in Nacogdoches where their son Jason was born. A few years later they moved to the Waterman community in Shelby County where their son John was born and several years later their daughter Gina. They raised their children along with countless head of livestock and horses as Jimmy was a rancher and cattle buyer. Jimmy and Sherry had the opportunity of traveling to Europe, Alaska and British Columbia and even living at their place in Paonia, Colorado for a while.
As he would often say, Jimmy’s only “real” job was working for Pioneer Beef out of Grenada, MS for over 25 years as a cattle buyer. Fiercely independent, he carved his own path and went his own way also buying, selling and trading cattle, land and timber tracts all over East TX, LA, MS and beyond. He trailered cattle as far as NM and CO to graze them on the excellent pasture lands there and sent cattle to feedlots in West Texas numerous times. He knew by sight what a cow would weigh, what she would bring at auction and where to take her to auction to bring the most profit. He never needed a calculator to do the math.
While cattle were his livelihood and career, his passion was hunting which he instilled in his sons, grandsons and great grandsons. He hunted all over E. Texas as well as many trips to New Mexico and Colorado. He was a lifetime member of the NRA. His greatest trip which he would often recount was hunting Dahl sheep in Alaska which required a float plane ride and landing on a sand bar on the Wood River to reach the hunting area. His biggest regret was never completing an African hunt. He did, however, read every Capstick book ever written on Africa and went to Africa many times through his reading.
After his family, and along with hunting, Jimmy loved everything about Alaska. He would often recount all the trips he made to Alaska in great detail to friends especially driving the AL-CAN Highway when it was still gravel. We’ve all lost count of how many flat tires they had on the RV trailer on that long drive. Needless to say, we believe all the tires had to be replaced once or twice over. He loved recounting his adventures for family and friends and he sure had a lot of them.
Jimmy is survived by:
Daughter-in-law, Rhonda Ward
Son, John Ward and wife Bridgette of Center
Daughter, Gina Castro and husband Sergio of Hurst, TX
Grandchildren:
Chad Ward
Landry Ward
Brady Ward
Colton Ward
Dillon Ward
Krista Collum Warren
Danbert Collum
Jimmy is also survived by 12 great-grand-children: Hayden, Connor, Slone, John Ray, Ronan, Slate, Darcy, Waverly, Kyla, Gentry, Mason and Abbott.
Jimmy is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Sherry Ward; and eldest son, Jason Ward.
The family would like to recognize and give heartfelt thanks to Jimmy’s long-time care giver, Shana Bearden. Shana welcomed Jimmy into her own family and made it possible for him to stay comfortably in his home. Shana even joined Jimmy and family on his last trip to Colorado earlier in 2026.
To send condolences or sign an online register, please visit www.mangumfh.net. Mangum Funeral Home, Center, is in charge of arrangements.
