Ward E. Anderson (72) passed away on August 1, 2025, with his loving family by his side.  He is survived by his wife Julie; daughter Toni (Jack Crane); granddaughter Addison who was the apple of his eye; mother Beverly Anderson; brother Jay Anderson; the entire Reynolds clan; numerous nieces and nephews.  He is preceded in death by his father James Anderson and father and mother in-law Charles “Ratchit” and Joyce Hensley.

Ward was born in Pomona, CA at a time it was mostly miles and miles of orange groves which gave him plenty of room to run around in.  As a young boy his family moved to Camino, CA located in the Sierra Nevada’s, he enjoyed a childhood filled with fishing, hunting, 3 wheeling, and exploring the woods like Daniel Boone did.  He fostered many racoons and other wild animals; he raised pigeons and even had a pet monkey.  He worked with his father in the excavation business before moving the business to St. Maries, ID in 1993.  He continued to operate Anderson Backhoe and Trucking until he went to work for the City of St. Maries in 2006.  Jack Crane took over the excavation business after Ward retired. 

Ward had a passion for radio control airplanes in his younger days which later led him to become a pilot owning 3 different planes over the years.  When he couldn’t fly any longer, he took up drag racing the “Slimer” named after it’s slime green color.  Racing was a family affair, and he loved racing and just being with our family of racers.  Ward also enjoyed trap shooting and bird watching, he could tell you every kind of bird that visited our yard and, in the woods; he always had a bird ID book close to him.  In the last several years he took up Garden Trains, he has a beautiful outdoor train set up in the yard of the family home.  He spent many hours laying track and relaying track to make it perfect, he always loved to tinker with it.

Ward will be missed by many, but his dry sense of humor will live on in each of us that knew and loved him.  A celebration of Ward’s life will be held on August 17, 2025 - 2:00 PM- 4:00 PM at The Shack, 83822 State Hwy 3, St. Maries, ID 83861.