John R Ward

John R. Ward (or Randy Ward if you knew him before 1976) passed away at his home on May 26th, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ.

Born in St. Louis Missouri on February 29th, 1956, John's family moved to Urbandale, Iowa a few years later where he excelled in five sports and then attended Iowa State University to study engineering and accounting.

As with anyone from Iowa, if he knew you were from there - that's all he would talk to you about.

After college, John met his beloved wife Kris at work, where he charmed her with his wit, intelligence, sense of humor, blue eyes, great long hair, ambition, and his height. Soon after they moved to Arizona - where there is no snow - and they began their almost 50-year journey together in the Valley.

John was an entrepreneur and idealist until the day he died. No concept was too challenging for him and he truly believed that there was no problem that couldn't be solved if he studied it. He worked across technology, healthcare, and science in his life, started two publicly traded companies and helped several hundreds more with his vast knowledge of industries.

He was a great thinker and had an incredible sense of humor. He grew up loving the St. Louis Cardinals but his favorite team was the Phoenix Suns. John's biggest disappointment was not being able to see them win an NBA Championship in his lifetime.

He was a man of God and driven by his faith but his most important priorities in life were his wife, Kris and his only son, Jonathan.

He will be remembered as a huge presence in their lives and he will be terribly missed.

He is survived by his wife Kris, son Jonathan, sister Karen Turnlund, brother-in-law Mike Turnlund, nieces Erica, Andi, Hannah and nephew Christian.