LEWISTON – When businesses were shutting down one after the other on Lisbon Street, Lawrence Ward remained.
The owner of Ward Bros. women’s clothing store, he grew up in Lewiston, he loved the city and he wanted to see its downtown succeed.
“His store kept Lisbon Street together,” said retired Maine State Supreme Court Justice Louis Scolnik.
Ward kept his store – known throughout the state for its classy, upscale apparel – open until 1987. That’s when he and his wife moved to Massachusetts, where he remained until his death Friday.
Ward was 80.
A World War II veteran and father of four, he did not live here for the past 17 years, but many remember him, his warm smile, his reputation for being a fair businessman who took great care of his employees.
One of his hardest workers was Normand Roy, who, coincidentally, died Saturday at age 76.
Roy was a stock boy at Ward Bros. when he was in high school, then went on to hold various other positions during the following three decades.
When Roy developed muscular dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair, Ward asked his employee to continue working for him. Roy greeted the customers and socialized with them while they shopped.
The two men kept in touch after their retirements, speaking once a month about everything from their grandchildren to Roy’s bouts of pneumonia or Ward’s battle with cancer.
“My father really enjoyed working at the store,” said Jan Mead, Roy’s daughter. “He thought of Larry like a brother.”
Larry Ward had a way of making people feel at ease, said Scolnik, a friend of Ward’s for 70 years. The two men were in a band that performed at local swing dances.
Scolnik played the saxophone and clarinet; Ward, the piano.
Music was one of Ward’s many passions. He also loved acting, painting, skiing, playing tennis and politics.
The lifetime Democrat wasn’t afraid to speak up for his beliefs.
His obituary noted that while serving as a technical sergeant in World War II, he attended military training in Texas. One day, a white bus driver refused to let a black soldier board unless he agreed to sit in the back. Ward got involved.
“He wears the same uniform I do,” Ward is quoted in his obit.
Ward’s cousin Edward Laine of Lewiston, remembered asking Ward to be the best man at his wedding. Laine’s brother was serving in the Korean War at the time, and Laine explained to Ward that he might have to step down from best man to usher if his brother showed up.
Ward was more than happy to be second choice.
“He was a nice guy,” Laine said, “one of the best guys you could meet.”
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