Rodger F. Ward

Rodger F. Ward, 55, of Spencer, NY, died Tuesday, January 05, 2021 at the Cayuga Medical Center. He was born in Ithaca on February 23, 1965, son of the late Frederick and Janet Collins Ward.

A loving and devoted, husband, father and brother, Rodger is survived by his wife of 32 years, Cheryl Bargher Ward; his son, Ryan (Courtney McNamara) Ward; his brother, Joseph Ward; sister, Shirley Niles and his nephews, Joey Ward, Jr. and Jake Ward. His brother, Joe gave Rodger 20 more quality years to work and be with his family after donating a kidney to him in 2001.

Rodger had a tremendous work ethic and had just retired on December 1st as a supervisor with the City of Ithaca. He had worked for the city for over 34 years. He was an avid outdoorsman and fan of NASCAR. He and Ryan loved the time they spent together working of their vehicles, especially Rodger's pride and joy, his '67 Firebird.

A graveside service to honor Rodger's life will be held in the spring at Lansingville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tompkins County SPCA.