Mark L. Ward

Mark Leo Ward passed away peacefully before sunrise at his home on Monday, August 10, 2026, after a courageous decade long battle with Lewy body dementia. He was born August 17, 1954, in Oklahoma City. He was the eighth of fifteen children born to Jane Lea and Thomas Ward Sr. Mark grew up directly across the street from St. Francis of Assisi Parish. He played a big role in the parish from a young age. He began serving daily mass as an altar boy, helping Monsignor Walde at the church rectory on the weekends, and taking on any other tasks at the church for which his mom volunteered him. Mark remained a devout member of St. Francis his entire life. He learned the value of hard work at a young age. Around eight years old he and several of his brothers acquired their own paper routes. They got up each morning around 4:00 am to deliver the morning paper on their bicycles. Often in the summer their sisters would join them. They would hop the fence at a nearby apartment complex and utilize the pool for a quick early morning swim. Their route concluded each morning with cold chocolate milk and a fresh donut from the bakery. After school they repeated the process, throwing the evening edition of the Daily Oklahoman before dinner. Mark spent many hours as a kid riding bikes, jumping off roofs, playing Indian baseball, expelling pigeons from the church bell tower with his weapon of choice, playing football at Gatewood field, going nose to nose in pickup basketball games with his brothers, ziplining over lit firepits, fist fighting for fun, retaping the bridge of his glasses, and playing kick the can just to name a few adventures. Most of his favorite childhood memories involved activities or shenanigans he partook in with his brothers Jack and Chris whom he was sandwiched between on the Ward roster. He cherished so many of the friends he grew up with in the Rosary neighborhood. Often telling and retelling the same stories over and over because that time of his life meant so much to him.

Mark attended Rosary Catholic School and graduated from Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in 1972 where he excelled on the football field and the wrestling mat. After high school he moved to Stillwater, OK attending classes at Oklahoma State University. While at OSU he studied horticulture, discovered his love for leatherwork, and his passion for playing the harmonica. Through his studies he developed a green thumb and his love for plant life. Unfortunately, his love for the wrong type of illegal plant and his attempt to grow and harvest it led to an early exit from Stillwater after three years of education. For the next several years he worked as a plasterer where he learned the trade from some of the best craftsmen in Oklahoma. He helped complete several large projects including work on several metro churches that he bragged about over the years. In 1978 he decided to start his own business, Mark Ward Landscaping Company. Over the next 37 years he completed hundreds of beautiful landscape designs and irrigation projects for customers across Oklahoma City and beyond. Many of his landscape designs can still be seen today throughout various neighborhoods in the OKC metro.

In 1977, Mark attended a house party and reconnected with his former high school classmate Monica Marino. Over the next three years Mark and Monica fell in love. In 1980, they tied the knot at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City. The following year they welcomed their son Keith, 2 years later their daughter Anna arrived, and ten years later in 1993 their daughter Amy was born. Mark’s children were his pride and joy. He was deeply involved in supporting and encouraging them in all their activities and endeavors. Like most outstanding fathers he wore many hats. He was coach, teacher, tutor, lead motivator, guidance counselor, driving instructor, head chef, BBQ pitmaster, hunting, fishing and camping guide, conflict coordinator, and storyteller extraordinaire. Mark was a big kid at heart who also cherished his many nieces and nephews and worked hard to maintain his “cool uncle” status.

In his free time, he loved listening to his favorite albums and playing his favorite songs on the harmonica every Sunday morning for his family. He frequented Guestroom Records any chance he could either by himself or with his kids. He loved attending concerts with his youngest daughter Amy. Over the years they attended hundreds of concerts together at many venues including the historical Blue Door in OKC where they were front row regulars. He loved to host and attend a good front yard pickin’ session with his friends. The sessions didn’t start until Mark blended up his extra strong 3 parts tequila 1 part lime mix frozen margaritas for everyone. And then pulled out his harmonica to join the jam.

Mark loved the outdoors and jumped at any opportunity he could to go fishing with his kids, friends, brothers, nieces and nephews. Mark enjoyed many a good hunt over the years with his son, brothers, nephews, and his good friends Johnny and Paul Tennery. He took his family on countless camping trips over the years to all areas of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado. He loved a good slow hike, the kind where he could stop and analyze every plant that was unfamiliar and try to guess its scientific name. Or where he could pause and marvel at the wildflowers in bloom. When he was in nature there was no rush. When he could not get outside, he spent time reading bird books, books on horticulture, and drawing up new landscape designs on his drafting board. Before the power of the internet, many hours were spent reading cookbooks and watching chefs Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and Alton Brown on the Food Network to garner new culinary skills and recipes. He relished cooking, preparing and sharing a great meal with friends and family. And he always made sure to remind his family to “kick it up a notch” and that “pork fat rules.” He loved the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Anytime the cowboy football, basketball or wrestling teams were playing he was tuned in either on the radio, television, or in person. When his son Keith decided to attend OSU Mark became the tailgate guy. For many years he smoked, rotisserie, and grilled every cut of meat you could imagine for game days. He always added green chile corn pudding and fudge brownies to the lineup for good measure. No tailgate was complete without Mark always providing a cooler full of cold beer (not the weak 3.2 abv stuff).

Mark was known for his never-ending sweet tooth. He always rallied the troops as often as he could to make a Braum’s trip to grab a hot fudge sundae, a vanilla or banana malt or a cherry limeade. He loved puffing a good Maduro cigar out in the yard, in his truck or anywhere that was far enough from the house that was approved by Monica. Mark was the definition of a simple man who always drove a truck that “needed a little work.” In order to start up these trucks, it usually required a good cup of coffee, the crossing of fingers, a few priming pumps of the accelerator pedal, and good karma, or good “truckma” as his good friend Terry McKenna called it. Mark paid in cash on all his purchases and never wanted to owe anyone money. He never had a debit card, a credit card or a real cell phone. He was gifted a Nokia prepaid flip phone late in life which he struggled to operate and only used for emergencies.

Mark had numerous friends, brothers, nephews, friends of friends, his kid’s friends, and his own kids work for him over the years. It was a love hate environment. You loved to be around him and be outside, but it was hard work and Mark the foreman and laborer had a no mercy approach. Mark had one speed when he was completing a job and it was 5th gear. You better stay in at least 4th gear or you risked getting your feelings hurt by a stiff comment about your intestinal fortitude or his famous inspirational belittling jab “I thought you wanted to work?” Those who survived a workday with Mark were better for it at the end of the day. Mark was a night owl who enjoyed staying up and watching music videos, boxing matches, or B movies with his kids. This hangout time was only complete once he had a plate of nachos were prepared or a sandwich du jour constructed from whatever leftovers were in the fridge. He never skipped out on staying up with his son Keith way past bedtime to watch 1980’s action movies while mom and sister Anna were asleep.

Mark was strong in so many ways. He was funny, loving, carefree, and loyal. He would try his best to entertain you with his corny jokes and his contagious laughter. Or straighten you out with his no nonsense pep talks. He was the ultimate role model who worked hard, put his family first, was always there to lend a helping hand and never complained. He always did a lot for others whether they be family, friend or stranger, and never looked for recognition. He took pride in visiting the sick, praying the Rosary with them, and comforting them in their time of despair. He never sweat the small stuff and always found the best in others. He always did the right thing even when it wasn’t the easiest thing. He was one heck of a guy who will be missed by all of those who loved him.

Mark was preceded in death by his parents, Jane Lea and Thomas Ward, and his brothers Michael and Timothy Ward. He is survived by his wife, best friend, and full-time caretaker Monica who cared for him every minute of every day during his illness; his son, Keith and wife Tiffany; his daughter, Anna and husband James; his daughter, Amy and husband Ethan; and 6 amazing grandchildren whom he loved deeply, Luke Austin and Penelope Pauline Ward, Brooklynn Marie Grundy, and Holden Thomas, Eleanor Townes, and Henry Leo Neal. As well as brothers Tom, Jack, Chris, Joe, Jim, David, Andy and Paul. Along with sisters Susie, Rebecca, Margie, and Patricia. He also leaves numerous nieces and nephews, extended family members, and friends whom he loved and cared about deeply.

The family would like to thank the hospice nurses, Raven and Loretta, who helped Monica care for Mark the last two weeks of his life.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 1901 NW 18th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73106. Inurnment will follow at Rose Hill Burial Park, 6001 NW Grand Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73118.