Chicago Fire Lt. Kevin Ward laid to rest; "a man who cherished adventure, and discovered his true calling"
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Describing him as a modern-day renaissance man with a passion for adventure, loved ones paid tribute Wednesday to Chicago Fire Lt. Kevin Ward, who died last month from injuries he suffered while battling a house fire.
Hundreds of firefighters from as far away as California and New York packed Fourth Presbyterian Church in Streeterville to pay their last respects to Ward.
A fire engine carried his casket, draped in the Chicago flag, to the church as two tower ladder trucks hung a large American flag over Michigan Avenue ahead of Ward's funeral.
His ex-wife, Corrinne Walenda, said he had a longtime love for adventure, much like Bilbo Baggins, the main character of his favorite book, "The Hobbit."
"He was always immensely curious, and loved a challenge," Walenda said.
Walenda encouraged Ward's fellow firefighters, friends, and family to join her in quoting Ward's favorite line from "The Hobbit" – "I'm going on an adventure!"
"Do that, and the spirit of Lt. Kevin Peter Ward will live on," she said.
Ward's hobbies included iron welding, glassblowing, engineering, rock climbing, sailing, skiing, windsurfing, hiking, SCUBA diving, and the obscure sport of underwater hockey. He also possessed various engineering skills and once rebuilt the engine of a Porsche.
Walenda recalled how she introduced him to SCUBA diving about 20 years ago, and how it quickly became an obsession, with Ward logging more than 400 hours of diving in two years – more than she had done in the previous 20 years.
"He was also an incredibly powerful swimmer. While we were diving in the Galapagos Islands, near the Darwin Arch, we came alongside a whale shark," the size of a CTA bus, Walenda recalled. "I could not keep up with her, so I handed Kevin one of my cameras, and he shot up towards her face, and took so many photos of her eyeing him like, 'Who are you, and how did you get here?'"
Ward and Walenda were together for 15 years before they got divorced, but they remained close friends. Their two German Shepherds have been best friends since Ward adopted his dog, Skye, in 2017. Walenda has now adopted Skye.
"I have never called Kevin my ex. He is my 'wasbund,'" Walenda said.
Born in Oxford, England, in 1964, Ward grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, earning an economics degree from the University of Michigan in 1986.
Before becoming a Chicago firefighter in 1996, Ward worked at a wide variety of jobs, including as a trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a ski resort worker and hotel chef in Colorado, and a deckhand on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska.
Ward's versatility continued in his time at the Chicago Fire Department, where he worked in roles as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, and rescue diver; as well as in airport operations and hazardous materials response.
He had planned to retire to a cabin in Colorado with his German Shepherd, Skye. He had been building a glassblowing workshop at the cabin to continue pursuing his passion for glass artwork.
"This artform requires perfect coordination between the right and the left hands, and it took Kevin years to perfect the precise movements required to create those glass art pieces," Walenda said.
Ward died on Aug. 29, weeks after being injured fighting a house fire near O'Hare International Airport.
Mayor Brandon Johnson described Ward as "a son, a brother, a friend, an uncle, a hero who put his service above himself."
"Lt. Ward made the ultimate sacrifice for his city, and there's nothing that we can do or say to repay that enormous debt. But we can lift up our prayers, and offer comfort and support for his loved ones and the entire Chicago Fire Department," Johnson said.
Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt called Ward "a man who cherished adventure, and discovered his true calling" when he joined the Chicago Fire Department in 1996.
"Lt. Kevin Ward embodied the very essence of firefighting, and the Chicago Fire Department. His dedication to serving and safeguarding others was unwavering," She said. "His memory will forever be engraved in our hearts, and his sacrifice will always inspire us to be better, to do better, and to honor his legacy through our actions every day we put on this uniform."
Ward's commanding officer, Capt. Anthony Massaro, said Ward and his dog, Skye, were inseparable to the point that she became a fixture at their firehouse.
"Most people got along with her, but there were some people she didn't care for. One of them was our battalion chief," Massaro said. "She would meet him at the door with a loud bark to let everyone know that he was there."
A decal of Maltese cross – a symbol of protection adopted by firefighters around the world – emblazoned with a likeness of Skye in the center will be affixed to Ward's Truck 9 in his memory.
Ward's family held a private burial after the funeral.
Ward was the third Chicago firefighter to die in the line of duty this year. Lt. Jan Tchoryk died of a heart attack in April while fighting a high-rise fire in the Gold Coast. One day earlier, firefighter Jermaine Pelt died while battling a house fire in West Pullman.