Retired Beach Elementary School crossing guard Arthur Ward died on March 16 at the age of 85 after a brief illness. He was surrounded by his friends and family at his home in Oakland.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 25 at 11 a.m. at the Chapel of the Chimes (4499 Piedmont Avenue). The viewing is scheduled for the day before on Thursday, April 24 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. also at the Chapel of The Chimes.
Arthur Ward lived in Oakland for 60 years with his lovely wife, Summer Ward. They were married for 58 years when Summer died in June of 2023.
Arthur was a seminal touchstone of the Beach community and neighborhood for nearly ten years when he was the beloved crossing guard at the corner of Lake and Linda Avenues. He was a dedicated family man. He and Summer had two children, Artie and Yolanda, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren. Arthur served in the Marine Corps then worked in the Oakland Naval Supply Center, first as a laborer then promoted to Supervisor of Computer Services before retiring more than 25 years ago. When he stopped working he decided to become a school crossing guard in his spare time.
When he was first was assigned to the city of Piedmont, Summer said they were both a bit skeptical, but after the first week, all of their fears subsided when the community fully embraced them. For years, both he and his wife Summer, who was a retired special education teacher with the Oakland Public Schools, volunteered at Beach School. Arthur was a gifted musician, always attending the Beach Revue, Pancake Breakfast, and the Beach Battle of the Bands.
In May 2019, the community worked together to have the corner named after him the year before his retirement. Unfortunately during his last year, school was cut short due to the Covid pandemic. The Beach community rallied and showed their support to Arthur and his family with a retirement car parade in the late Spring of 2020.
Arthur and Summer were also regular fixtures at many Piedmont events. This included the July 4th parade where they won the 2019 Highland Platter for their entry in the parade. They were so proud and displayed the trophy in the Beach School office. In retirement, they also would meet regularly at Mulberrys Market and Fentons with their friends from Beach and were so happy to see all of the former students who would stop by to say hello.
Arthur’s infectious love for his faith, family, friends and the Beach Community was a source of joy and inspiration for many; he will be sorely missed.
Deborah Dinerman