Joseph “Joe” Robert Ward
April 5, 1963 – November 6, 2025

Funeral services for Joseph “Joe” Robert Ward, 62, of Cairo, GA, are at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at the Clark Funeral Home Chapel, Cairo, GA. Rev. Chris Allen and Dr. Ron McCaskill will officiate. Services will conclude at the chapel. Mr. Ward passed away at the Wight Inpatient Hospice Center in Thomasville, GA, on Thursday, November 6, 2025.

Honorary pallbearers are David Coleman, Sr., David Coleman, Jr., JJ Cooper, Brandon Robinson, Jerry Ridley, and Pat Wind.

Mr. Joe Ward a proud Cairo Syrupmaker through and through lived his life with dedication, loyalty, and love for his community, family, and the sports teams that meant so much to him. For more than 35 years, Joe faithfully served as the statistician for the Syrupmaker football and basketball teams-a role he filled with precision, passion, and pride. His dedication went far beyond numbers on a page; Joe’s work captured the heart and history of Syrupmaker athletics. In recent years, Joe was recognized for an incredible milestone-keeping official statistics for over 400 Syrupmaker football games. His tireless devotion and unwavering support became a cornerstone of the athletic program he so dearly loved.

Survivors include: brothers, his twin, James W. Ward of Cairo, GA, Robin Ward (Laura) of Whigham, GA, Tommy Ward (Sharon) of Petaluma, CA; nephew, Nicholas Joseph Ward of Grants Pass, Oregon; and a niece, Savannah Lee Ward of Boston, GA.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents and his parents, Joe and Helen Ward.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in Mr. Ward’s memory to the Cairo High School Football and Basketball program through the CHS Athletic Department.

The family will receive friends at Clark Funeral Home immediately following the service.