Sheila Ward Obituary, Sheila Ward Has Passed Away

Sheila Ward Obituary, Death Cause We mourn the loss of longstanding Austin Bonsai Society member Sheila Ward, 89, a kind registered nurse and talented bonsai artist. In her time with us, she left a legacy of love, caring, and faith on many. Sheila died naturally on October 1, 2023, surrounded by family. Born July 4,

Sheila Ward Obituary, Death Cause – We mourn the loss of longstanding Austin Bonsai Society member Sheila Ward, 89, a kind registered nurse and talented bonsai artist. In her time with us, she left a legacy of love, caring, and faith on many. Sheila died naturally on October 1, 2023, surrounded by family. Born July 4, 1934 in Tipperary, Ireland, she was a loving and caring person throughout her life. In 1955, she became a Registered Nurse in Manchester, UK, dedicating herself to helping people. Sheila married writer and historian Jack Greenberg in the US. Sheila became interested in bonsai once Jack started doing it.

Jack died in 1984 at Half Moon Bay. Sheila met her second husband, Gatesville, Texas bonsai artist John Terry Ward, a landscape gardener at the Japanese Gardens in San Mateo, California. In Half Moon Bay, California, they married on April 28, 1990. Sheila and Terry studied bonsai with local and visiting artists and founded California’s annual Shohin Bonsai Seminar in Santa Nella, CA. Following their 1993 move to Austin, Texas, Sheila and Terry created Persimmon Hill Bonsai, a bonsai nursery and instructional center. They organized several continuing Bonsai activities, including the Kathy Shaner Seminar and the Shohin Society of Texas,

at Persimmon Hill among their natural Oak and Juniper trees. The Texas State Bonsai Exhibit was founded by Sheila and Terry, who served on the board and cared for numerous bonsai for decades. Sheila lectured about Bonsai, Kusamono, and Shitakusa, the aesthetic display of grasses and understory plants that can accompany bonsai. She also liked crafting handcrafted pots for these Kusamono. She and her husband Terry were significant bonsai teachers, and they gave programs to her local club, Austin Bonsai Society, Texas bonsai organizations, and Texas State Conventions. Although Persimmon Hill Bonsai closed in 2013, the Wards remained engaged in the neighborhood.

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