Services Tuesday for Hilton 'Buzz' L. Ward

Hilton 'Buzz' Ward, 67 years of age, passed away Monday April 16, 2012 at home in Portland, Ore.

A graveside service will be held at Willamette National Cemetery on Tuesday, April 24, at 1 p.m.  Hilton 'Buzz' Ward was born in Cisco, Texas. His parents were Hilton Ward I and Vera Elizabeth Patterson both from Cisco, Texas. He attended high school at Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in Ft. Worth, Texas where he participated in the high school marching and stage band.  Hilton also showed talent as a trumpet player, participating in the high school jazz band. He loved to dance.

After graduating in the class of 1963 from Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School, he received a full band scholarship to play the trumpet at Cisco Junior College. Fulfilling a need to travel, Hilton joined the United States Navy, where he obtained the rank of Seaman First Class. While in the U.S. Navy, he traveled throughout the South Pacific. He was Honorably Discharged from the U.S. Navy and went into community service in Ft. Worth, Texas. He married Marva Cannon and together they had a son Hilton Leroy Ward III. Hilton received licensure as a barber and as an air conditioning-refrigeration technician. Hilton's sense of adventure brought him to Portland, Ore. in­ 1988.

Hilton's pleasing personality resulted in many friends in Portland; they always considered Hilton as part of their families.

While in Portland, he completed his training as a dental assistant from Concord Dental Assisting School. Hilton worked as a dental assistant for 21 years with his brother Dr. Edward E. Ward at Interstate Dental Clinic. While dental assisting, Hilton volunteered in community health dentistry, as a Northwest Medical Dental Van Volunteer in Fossil, Oregon and volunteered in other areas of community service. Hilton particularly liked traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii to attend the National Dental Association convention in 2010.

Hilton loved his Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church family and its pastor Rev. Johnny Pack.

Hilton is survived by his son Hilton Ward III, brothers Edward E. Ward (Barbara), John Talton Jones (Lena), and Mike Maston, sister Artimece Webb, and several nieces and nephews.

Arrangements by Terry Family Funeral Home.