Mark A. Ward, a local landmark and my best friend for more than 50 years, passed away peacefully on November 15 at Cottage Hospital, a place he had worked as a security officer until just a few weeks prior.
Mark and I became friends because of a shared interest in comedy and radio. We were members of the early ’70s comedy troupe The Fabulous DeLuxe Brothers, along with Richard Procter and Duff Kennedy.
Here’s a fun fact about Mark Ward. He worked for Needles Police Department in the late ’60s. During his days off, he kept his phone in the refrigerator so that if he was summoned to fill in, he wouldn’t hear the call.