John Turner Ward, the son of Richard Fowler Ward, a surgeon, and of Mary Lilian (née Turner), a physiotherapist, was born at Ipswich, Suffolk, on 31 October 1932. His paternal grandfather had also been a surgeon in Ipswich. He was educated at Epsom College and Queen's University, Belfast, where he graduated in 1958. His surgical training from house officer to senior registrar was at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, from 1958 to 1969. He also spent a year as a fellow and temporary member of the staff of the Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, from 1967 to 1968, working with Dr Stanley Hoerr and Dr George Crile Jr, before his appointment as consultant surgeon to the South Tyrone and Armagh City Hospital in 1969. He had wide surgical interests with a particular concern for gastrointestinal surgery and published a number of papers: on hormones, gastric secretion and peptic ulcer; the parathyroids and gastric secretion, and the late results of three operations for duodenal ulcer. Noted for his surgical skill, sound judgement, kindness and patience, he had many outside interests such as sailing, carpentry, house renovation, farming and wine. He had been secretary of the Ulster Surgical Club 1979-1981, a member of the Southern Health and Social Services Board and, latterly, High Sheriff for County Tyrone. He married a fellow graduate, Dr Cecilia Caroline Arnold, in 1958 and she became a general practitioner. They had one daughter and three sons, the second of whom, Peter, graduated in medicine at Bristol. During the last few years of his life he is reported to have suffered from two serious illnesses which he faced with great courage. When he died, aged 51, on 29 July 1984, he was survived by his wife and four children.