IDA WARD Ida Sykes Billups Ward died Wednesday December 31, 2014 in Columbus, Mississippi. She was a native and life long resident of Columbus having been born on July 24, 1922, to the late Thomas Carleton Billups III and Lenore Hardy Billups. She was a life-long communicate of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. She was a graduate of Lee High School, she attended Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia, and MSCW (MUW). She was active in the first Columbus Pilgrimages and was a life member of the Columbus Junior Auxiliary. During World War II, she worked at the Columbus Army Air Field base hospital. She was a member of the Columbus unit of the Civil Air Patrol and was the first female to solo in the unit. She is predeceased by her parents, her husband, Rufus A. Ward Sr., her son Thomas Carleton (T.C.) Ward and her brother Thomas Carleton Billups IV and sister-in-law Betty Billups. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Rufus A. Ward Jr. and Karen Ward of West Point and Columbus, grandchildren Sarah Ward and husband Aaron Hoffman of Alexandria, Virginia, and Thomas Bailey Ward of Gulfport, and great-grandchildren Harper Lenore Hoffman and Sykes Lee Hoffman of Alexandria, Virginia and her brother's children Thomas Carleton Billups V of Columbus, Mississippi and Arlington, Virginia, and Susan Underwood Billups of Dallas, Texas. Graveside services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday January 3, 2015 at Friendship Cemetery. Memorials maybe made to: St. Paul's Episcopal Church 318 College Street Columbus Mississippi Palmer Home for Children P.O. Box 746 Columbus, Mississippi or Duncan M. Gray Center Episcopal Camp and Conference Center Address: 1530 Way Rd, Canton, MS 39046 Canton, Mississippi
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