Seward resident Mr. Eric Rodger Ward, 74, died Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 from Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma at his home in Seward with his family by his side. Memorial Services will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at The Cobble Company at the Brown & Hawkins Building on 4th Ave. Eric was born October 9, 1945 in Winchester, United Kingdom. He graduated high school and furthered his education by majoring in Physics and later became a licensed Engineer. He moved to Alaska in 1978 where he lived in Anchorage up until 2018 when he moved to Seward. Eric worked for 40 years with BP Alaska including 26 years at Prudhoe Bay. He retired from BP in 2014. Eric belonged to the Baxter Road Bible Church in Anchorage and the Resurrection Bay Baptist Church in Seward. He received the Chairperson of COPM (Committee on Petroleum Measurement). He loved cars, sailing, and the restoration of their historic house they bought in Seward. The family wrote, “Eric Ward was a Brit through and through. He enjoyed his afternoon tea and his toast cold, hard as a rock covered in butter and marmalade. He was seen every 4th of July sporting his “Happy Treason Day, Ungrateful Colonials” shirt. However, this Brit was beyond proud to be a naturalized American citizen. He said on multiple occasions how lucky he felt to be able to live in a place as beautiful as Alaska. Eric spit his time between his home in Anchorage and his job as Technical Authority/Metering Engineer in Prudhoe Bay in 26 years. Though quiet in nature, he was respected by all those he worked with and was a natural leader. Being a world-renowned petroleum engineer in no easy task. If petroleum engineers were rock stars, he would have been as famous as David Bowie. Despite his time-consuming career, he never let work keep him from enjoying life’s important events. Whether it was taking holidays with his children, sitting in bleachers at swim meets, attending graduations or celebrating wedding he was always there rubbing his hands together in excitement. When it was finally time to retire from his rock star career, he and the three loves of his life, his wife Sue Ward, his S-Type Jaguar and his sailboat Rastaman Vibrations settled in Seward, Alaska. Eric’s creative and artistic sides really shined as they renovated their 100-year-old plus house in 2nd street in Seward. Despite the old house’s best efforts, no obstacle stood a chance against Eric’s clever mind. Eric’s life was tragically cut short due to cancer but those who loved him most will carry on his dreams of finishing the house and sailing around Resurrection Bay in Rastaman.” He was preceded in death by his parents George and Ruth Ward. He is survived by his wife, Sue Ward of Seward; niece, Myriiah Ariza-Balter of Seward; sons, Mark Ward of the UK, Ian Ward of the UK and Michael Ward of the UK; daughters, Suzane Ward of the UK and Rachel Thornton of the UK. Arrangements made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel & Crematory. Please sign or visit his online guestbook at AlaskanFuneral.com.