Frederick "Fritz" Roger Ward

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He also loved to memorize and recite poetry, particularly Ogden Nash.

Frederick “Fritz” Roger Ward of Boise, Idaho, died September 23, at age 85 due to Alzheimer’s and heart failure.

Fritz was born October 30, 1940, in Cleveland, Mississippi, to James and Virginia Ward. He had two brothers, Jim and Wayne. His father served in the military and taught math at various universities, so the family moved many times.

The boys learned to swim and fish on an arm of the Chesapeake Bay, ate grits and explored the mountains in Kentucky and Georgia, and ate Mexican food and hiked White Sands when they lived on Holloman AFB, New Mexico. The boys were boy scouts wherever they lived. Fritz learned to square dance in 7th grade and was so enthusiastic he would call squares in the hall after lunch. He also loved to memorize and recite poetry, particularly Ogden Nash.

Fritz earned a BS in math from College of William and Mary in Maryland. He worked summers at Goddard Space Flight Center. Fritz pursued a master’s degree in applied math at University of Colorado--Boulder. At his first meal in the student union cafeteria, he met a vivacious biology graduate student named Janet Delli Quadri, and they hit it off. They hiked every weekend and folk danced and square danced. They married June 10, 1964. Fritz graduated in June 1965.

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Fritz loved to garden and tend fruit trees.

Fritz went to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg for his PhD to pursue teaching math. Fritz and Janet started a family. Frederic “Fritz” Robin was born in 1966, and Sonja Ann “Sunny” in 1968. Upon graduation in 1969, Fritz took a job teaching math at what would become Boise State University in Idaho. He taught for 33 years and made many friends there. He noted many students didn’t have the skills from high school to be successful and became a big proponent of placement testing for math. He was an absent-minded professor, but Janet kept him organized.

Fritz loved to garden and tend fruit trees. The family hiked, fly-fished, backpacked, and cross-country skied. Fritz helped with Robin’s boy scout troop and Sonja’s youth orchestra. Fritz and Janet folk danced until old age slowed them down. They were Unitarian Universalist members and active in environmental causes. They loved to play cards and travel.

Janet moved to long-term care during the Covid pandemic before vaccines when facilities were in lock-down. It was hard on both to live apart and visit only through the window. Fritz asked Sonja to track his finances and help him keep a calendar. Janet died in May 2022.

Fritz suffered a delirium in October 2024 and moved to care facilities. He died at Aspen Valley Senior Living Memory Care. We particularly thank Aimee Shepard, NP, for her care of him.

A Celebration of Life will be announced at a later date.