Mrs. Ward

Yvonne Arloene Ward influenced generations of Los Altos shoppers through her hand-sketched advertisements that appeared in local newspapers and magazines. Her work was so admired that many local advertisers refused to have anyone else create their ads. The longtime Los Altos resident and commercial artist died June 2 in Humboldt County. She was 86.

Born May 2, 1919, in Marysville to Arloene and John Weihe, Mrs. Ward spent much of her early childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was only 12 when her mother died of cancer. That changed home life forever for Mrs. Ward and her older brother Neil. Their father could not take care of them alone so the two siblings went from relative to relative.

Mrs. Ward found comfort in the arts. She began studying art while attending school in Oakland and San Rafael.

After graduating from high school, Mrs. Ward went to work as a commercial artist for the Roma Wine Co. in San Francisco, drawing much of their advertising by hand. She spent her spare time modeling for photographic fashion designs. She continued her art studies at the Hal Heath Studios in San Francisco, where she met her husband, William Ward, 18 years her senior. In the late 1930s, he was already a recognized California artist.

They were married in March 1940. Bill, a woodworker by trade, had accepted a position at Ames Aerospace Research/NASA in Mountain View as director of the Model Shop. The Wards moved to the Santa Clara Valley, with their first home in Mountain View.

Their only child, John Dexter Ward, was born in 1941. A few years and moves later, the Wards built a home in the Campbell Ranch near today’s Rancho Shopping Center in Los Altos. The small house described as a “woodworker’s delight” in local newspapers, was finished in knotty pine. The rafters were hand hewn by the family. The Wards remained in that home until the mid-1950s.

Mrs. Ward worked at the Town Crier as an advertising artist and on the monthly news magazine, Foothill Focus, when it started. She continued her commercial art career at SRI International and in the medical and dental fields before retiring.

During retirement, Mrs. Ward developed an interest in bead collecting and design and antique and modern button collecting. In addition, Mrs. Ward enjoyed gardening and reading.

After Mr. Ward’s death in January 1985, Mrs. Ward continued to live in Los Altos with her son and his wife Linda. Her son died in March 1995.

Mrs. Ward is survived her daughter-in-law Linda of Los Altos and Bridgeville; granddaughters Joanell, Jennifer and Jessica; and great-grandchildren, Rebecca, Samuel, Benjamin, Nicole, Alexander, and twins Lauren and Emily, all of British Columbia, Canada.