Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Sunday, August 13, 2006 at 11:38:55 :
Point Reyes Light
November 7, 2002
Point Reyes resident 'Jayme' Ward dies at 77
By Larken Bradley
Point Reyes Station resident, Elizabeth "Jayme" Ward, a retired executive secretary who called Maui, New York City, and San Francisco her home before retiring to Walnut Place senior housing, died Tuesday, Oct. 29, of complications from lung cancer. She was 77.
After settling in West Marin 12 years ago, Mrs. Ward soon immersed herself in local activities, quickly making the community her "home of all homes," reported her daughter, Denise Champion.
Colorful woman
A colorful woman of both speech and style, her Walnut Place apartment, its apricot-colored tones creating an air of understated sophistication, became the community’s showpiece, friends said.
Ever the straight shooter, Mrs. Ward never hesitated to call a spade a spade, yet she possessed the finesse to avoid offending with oftentimes-blunt remarks, friends observed.
Born in Colorado on April Fool’s Day, 1925, from the age of five Jayme Mussey attended convent boarding school where she learned French and developed an appreciation for literature and music.
In the early 1940s, while still a teenager, she snagged a job as a publicist with renowned jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden and his big band, traveling throughout the US with the entourage. After attending the University of Colorado at Boulder, she and her mother, interior decorator Helene Mussey, moved to San Francisco.
During World War II she married an Army Air Corps serviceman stationed at Hamilton Field in Novato. The marriage ended in divorce, as did a second marriage.
Moved to Maui
Mrs. Ward eventually moved to Maui where she lived for seven years. She next went on to New York, where she became a researcher for Time magazine. After her return to San Francisco, she went to work for the St. Anthony Foundation, and served as an executive secretary with the organization’s Madonna Residence for Senior Women.
In West Marin she joined the Dance Palace, became a volunteer at the public library, and trekked with the Tuesday hiking group. In its early days she donated time to KWMR radio, and worked at the annual Thanksgiving Day feast in the Red Barn. Mrs. Ward was member of SAFE, also known as "The Group," a weekly women’s support group that continues to meet at the Dance Palace.
Describing Mrs. Ward as "sweet and peppery," friend Jody Farrell of Inverness Park on Tuesday recalled their mutual passion for exploring cemeteries, reading headstones, and speculating on peoples’ lives.
Tasteful traveler
A small, fine-boned woman, always well turned-out in tasteful, classic apparel, Mrs. Ward enjoyed traveling in Europe, with Paris her favorite destination. After leaving Hawaii and moving back to the mainland, she continued visiting her daughter’s protea farm on the Haleakala Crater on Maui, where she helped fill orders of the exotic bloom during the December holiday rush.
She is survived by her daughter, Denise Champion of Bodega Bay; son, Craig Ward of Oregon; four grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaughter.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, at Walnut Place in Point Reyes Station.
The family has suggested that any memorial contributions be made to West Marin Senior Services, or Hospice of Marin.
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