René Ward Obituary
We are sad to announce that, on January 14, 2026, at the age of 72, René Ward in Lawrence, Kansas passed away. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of René Ward to pay them a last tribute.
She was predeceased by: her parents, Carter F. Thornton and Marjorie J Thornton (Havas); her husband John Allen Ward; her son Chad Ward; and her siblings, Steve Thornton, Rodney Thornton, Randy Thornton, Linnette Hurst, Nina Sigmund, Colleen Lobb and Lisa Thornton.
She is survived by: her daughter Virginia Thornton of Hutchinson; her grandchildren, Jordan LaForce of Baldwin City, Jarrod LaForce, Steven LaForce of Hutchinson, Natasha LaForce of Chicago and Alexia Ward of Jacksonville, Fla; her great grandchildren, Roman, Kaiden LaForce, Lila, Violet LaForce and Andromeda LaForce Lopez; and her siblings, Curtiss (Jules Thornton) of Vero Beach, Fla, Kelly Thornton of Ottawa, Shelley Watts of Kansas City and Leilani Tuttle of Lawrence. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Midland Hospice.
