Needham Edgar Ward

Needham Edgar Ward was born on April 29, 1946, in Portland, Oregon, and passed away on August 20, 2023, in Tacoma, Washington. Son of Agnes and Needham Ward, he grew up in Seaside, Oregon, attended the University of Portland, and graduated from medical school at the University of Oregon. Specializing in cardiology, Needham provided care to his patients and community for over 50 years. He served 10 years in the US Army, stationed both at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, and later at Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Germany. After leaving the armed forces as a lieutenant colonel, he moved to Tacoma, Washington, and joined Clarence Anderson, Jack Nagel, Gail Strait and Eugene Lapin at Cardiac Study Center, where he worked as an interventional cardiologist for 34 years. During the last eight years of his career, he helped develop and lead MultiCare’s Pulse Heart Institute as chief medical officer and board chairman. He retired on July 3, 2023. Needham will be dearly missed by his wife, Diane; his children Dylan, Aric, Josh, Cate and Mac; his granddaughters Maddy, Mila and Matilda; his siblings Sue, Josh and Marc; and his dogs Lucky, Louie and Lefty. A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, August 30, at 6:30 pm at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Tacoma. While at Pulse Heart Institute, Needham helped establish Hearts of Gratitude, a fund that directly supports caregivers, veterans and patients in the communities it serves. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Needham’s memory to MultiCare's Pulse Heart Institute - MultiCare Foundations.