Born and raised in North Hills of Pittsburgh, Adam Ward has been described as generous to the core by friends and loved ones. A beloved son, brother, uncle and friend, he dedicated his time and talents to helping others. Starting in his middle school years, Adam volunteered for Project Bundle Up and then moved on to “Hands for Service” in high school. While attending Slippery Rock University and beyond, he seven times grew his hair and donated it for wigs for children dealing with hair loss associated with cancer or other health issues.
Adam’s impact also reached from Pittsburgh to Manassas, Virginia, where he taught social studies for 13 years. For ten of those years, he served as the Stonewall Jackson High School (SJHS) Boys Varsity Lacrosse head coach. Immersing himself not just as a coach and teacher, Adam manned the SJHS press box and was the "Voice of the Raiders" for all of the SJHS football games. He coordinated fundraisers for the purchase of lacrosse equipment for the team and also raised money for Families of Fallen Officers.
After 13 years away from his hometown, he returned to Pittsburgh and became the head coach of the North Hills High School Varsity Boys Lacrosse team.
In the fall of 2020, Adam was hospitalized and diagnosed with a rare form of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma. Adam passed away on Nov. 8, 2020, just three weeks after the diagnosis and four days after his 39th birthday. Forever thinking of others, while in the hospital Adam asked his friends to organize a blood drive to replace the blood products he received during testing and treatment. Adam's friends immediately scheduled the blood drive, and on Dec. 13, 2020, 50 people donated blood in Adam's honor. After his passing, his friends also organized the reWarding 5k race/walk to honor Adam and raise money for blood cancer research.
The Adam Ward Memorial Fund was established by his family to honor Adam's caring spirit and service to others.