Country icon Jeannie Seely’s husband of 14 years, Eugene Ward, has died after a recent cancer diagnosis.
PEOPLE can confirm Ward died at the age of 92 at the Life Care Center of Old Hickory Village in Nashville.
“My heart is broken now, but I am so grateful for the 15 years I had with Gene,” Seely, 84, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “I knew he was a good man when I married him, but as I experienced life with him, I learned he was a really great man. My love and respect for him grew daily, and it continues as I learn how much he touched the lives of so many people, some who only knew him by the example he set.”
Added the “Sentimental Journey” musician: “It is comforting to know that others share that love and respect for him. Btw, he didn’t ‘lose his battle with cancer’; he defied it by gaining his wings. The Counselor never lost a case.”
Submitted by Family
Born in White Pine, Jefferson County, Tenn., Ward graduated from White Pine High School in 1952 as the student council president, senior class president, Beta Club vice president, debate team member, and basketball team captain.
In 1956, he earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. and paid his way through college while working at the dairy and as a server in the dining hall. He later attended the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he earned a J.D. Degree in 1959.
That year, he entered the private practice of law in Morristown, Tenn. Two years later, he was appointed assistant general counsel to the Tennessee Public Service Commission and serves as general counsel from January 1966 to May 1980. He also held roles as a staff attorney for Nashville Electric Service (NES) in 1980 and, became general counsel for NES in 1986. In 2011, Ward officially retired from his position of Vice-President and General Counsel at NES.
Throughout his career, he was inducted into the Lincoln Memorial University’s Professional Hall of Fame and was recognized by Freddie O’Connell, the mayor of Nashville, for his dedication to public service and his outstanding contributions to the state of Tennessee.
Outside of work, Ward dedicated his life to helping others through his church and community organizations. He was a member of the Hermitage Hills Baptist Church and actively participated in several Masonic organizations, including the Leadvale Masonic Lodge and Al Menah Shrine Temple.
He also served on several committees, including the Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Issues Committee and Legislative Network, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Country Music Association (CMA).
Submitted by Family
Ward is survived by his wife, Seely, and his loving calico cat Corrie, as well as three children — Judy Olive, Johnny Myers (Wanda), and Keven Ward (Beth) — plus grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Visitation for friends and family of Ward will be held at 11 a.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 19 at Spring Hill Funeral Home in Nashville followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m. CST.
The family asks that, instead of flowers, memorial donations be made to Shriner’s Hospital for Children or the Opry Trust Fund.
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