Ward Dean McNeilly

Ward Dean McNeilly passed away at his Denver home on February 9th, 2024 with his family at his side after an intense and private struggle with sarcoma. Born November 17, 1950, in Modesto, California to H. Dean and Jeannine O'Connor McNeilly, he spent his teenage years in Stockton, California, where he attended Lincoln High School. Ward graduated from Utah State University with a B.S. in Marketing and from the University of Nevada with a B.S. in Geological Engineering.

He went on to work for Amoco, BP, BHP Billiton, and Antero Resources. His career took him and his family all over the world to assignments in Salt Lake City, UT; Liberal, KS; Houston, TX; Cairo, Egypt; London, England; and Aberdeen, Scotland, and most importantly, his favorite, Denver. He relished the sense of camaraderie and shared purpose he had with his colleagues at work, forming life-long friendships. In addition to being a keen engineer, Ward enjoyed the business and financial aspects of his industry and felt fortunate to be part of the IPO process with Antero Resources, reveling in the challenge and excitement of roadshows and the results they engendered.

Ward adored sports, both as a spectator and a player -- soccer, cycling, tennis, but above all football, which he played in high school and at Utah State University. He delighted in cheering on the Buffs with his sons and grandchildren.

A Mayflower descendant, Ward spent much of his time during the Covid years immersed in complex genealogy, both his own and that of his wife. He took pleasure in the pursuit, learning history, geography, and even a bit of Latin. His intellectual curiosity was limitless.

Ward was a loving and doting grandfather. In recent years, you could find him tossing baseballs in the backyard with grandsons Matthew and Brooks, admiring granddaughter Alice’s artwork, playing cars with Miller, or making tiny Elizabeth laugh with funny faces. Ward held many impressive titles throughout his lifetime, but the most important was Nonnu.

Ward is survived by his devoted wife, Jeannie (Eugenia); his beloved sons Scott (Nicole) and Kevin (Jillian); his precious grandchildren, Matthew, Brooks, Alice, Miller, and Elizabeth; his caring sisters Kathy Silverman of San Luis Obispo, CA and Anne Klein (Bob) of Stockton, CA; stepmother Bea McNeilly of Stockton, CA; as well as cousins and nieces.

The family is deeply indebted to Dr. Breelyn Wilky and her team at the Sarcoma Division of the University of Colorado Cancer Center for exceptional care.