Ward Belding

March 14, 1941 - June 27, 2018

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband and father, Ward, yesterday afternoon. Ward had lived for three years with progressing symptoms of Parkinson's disease. He fought the disease valiantly, but in recent months, it had begun to complicate the challenges of older age. We are very glad that our family was all able to be together this week, and we are grateful for the medical care that Ward received, allowing him to depart peacefully on his final journey. Thank you to everyone who visited or called. All of your friendships meant so very much to him.

Pat, Susannah, and Eileen, Ward's family

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Ward Belding, Jr, former resident of Pleasanton, beloved husband of Patricia Belding, devoted father of Susannah and Eileen Belding, dear brother of Richard (Sharon) Belding (SPHS '62), passed away peacefully in Walnut Creek, California on June 27, 2018. He was 77. A son of Ward and Helen Belding, Ward was born in Beaumont, Texas, and raised in South Pasadena.

Ward developed a lifelong love of hiking and the outdoors through his association with the Boy Scouts' summer camps in the Sierra Nevada. For a six-year period, from 7th grade through 12th grade, he rose early each day to deliver the morning Los Angeles Times. Later, through a Times competition among newspaper carriers, Ward was awarded a full scholarship to attend the four-year college of his choice. He chose Pomona College and graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics. In the summer of 1959, Ward visited Japan with an ecumenical volunteer program to travel and conduct service projects. The following summer, he toured the Soviet Union as part of a student cultural exchange sponsored by the National Council of Churches. Travel and the perspectives gained through cultural exchange remained important to his core values throughout his life. After graduation from Pomona, Ward was selected as a Fellow in Public Affairs (Los Angeles), with the Coro Foundation. He met his future wife, Patricia McFeely, who was also a Fellow, in his Coro class. He then served two years in the Peace Corps in Chile, working on rural economic development projects. Upon returning to the United States, Ward attended Syracuse University and earned a master's degree in economics. He joined the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) as a planner in 1967, prior to the construction of the BART system. He served 32 years as a planner and manager at BART before retiring in 1999.

An avid hiker, Ward had visited most of the East Bay Regional Parks many times. His favorites were Morgan Territory and Sunol. He had backpacked in the Sierra Nevada and also trekked in the Himalayas on two occasions. With his brother, Ward hiked a substantial portion of the pilgrimage trail, the Camino de Santiago, in northern Spain. He also enjoyed participating Masters Swimming and in gardening with California native plants. The family's Pleasanton home was featured at various times on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. However, Ward's lifelong passion was singing, especially music for choral ensembles. Starting with several years' participation in liturgical boys' choir in South Pasadena, he went on to sing with a number of groups, both in college and during his later years. These included many Bay Area choral groups, including the Oakland Symphony Chorus and Chamber Chorus, the choir of St Augustine's Church (Pleasanton), the Valley Choral Society, Encore, Coro D'Amici, Soli Deo Gloria (formerly the Gay Area Lutheran Chorale), the Berkeley Bach Cantata Group, and the Berkeley Faculty Club Monks. As a member of the Oakland Symphony Chamber Chorus in the early 1970s, he was recorded as a backup choral singer on Van Morrison's 'Snow in San Anselmo'. In retirement, Ward had participated regularly in the Pleasanton July 4th pageant, dressing as Uncle Sam and leading the crowd in singing patriotic songs with the Pleasanton Community Band at Lions Wayside Park. Ward had many interests that he loved and pursued with energy, but even more important to him was sharing those interests with family and with friends and colleagues throughout his life...from college, from BART, from many choral organizations with which he sang, from the hiking fraternity, and from his community. He enjoyed meeting new people, cherished relationships with long-time friends, and valued the memories of shared adventures. He was a generous spirit and friend to many.

East Bay Times, September 2, 2018