Billie Eva "Bopeep" Shell Ward was born in Hickory, NC on June 8, 1925 to Eva and William Shell. At the age of nine, her family moved from Tampa to Orlando, Florida, at which point she met Frederick James Ward, her future husband. She attended Hillcrest Elementary, Cherokee Junior High School and Orlando Senior High School. She graduated from Florida State College for Women, later known as Florida State University, where she majored in Social Work, and was President of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. In 1947 she married her childhood friend, Fred Ward.

Known for her great sense of humor, she was a warm mother, a loving grandmother, and a loyal and devoted friend. Bo had a lifelong passion for bettering the lives of others, one that manifested itself in all aspects of her life. Professionally, she was a social worker and a supervisor for both the State of Florida and the Orange County Public School System. This commitment extended into her personal life, as she served on the boards of the Orange County Mental Health Association, Habitat for Humanity, the Christian Service Center, the Junior League of Greater Orlando, and was President of the Board of the Community Service Center. Additionally, she served on the board of the Coalition for the Homeless, which she helped start with her husband.

A lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church of Orlando, she served her God as a member of the NU Class Sunday School, the Homeless Ministry, a Sunday school teacher, a Flower Committee member, and a volunteer receptionist. In her social life, she was a member of the Rosalind Club, an avid bridge player, a member of her book club, and greatly enjoyed flower arranging. She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred. She is survived by her children, Deborah Ward Hill (Carey), Shelley Lorraine Ward (Bruce Williamson), Frederick James Ward Jr. (Joyce) (all of Orlando), and William Shell Ward (Christy) (of Jackson, Tennessee); her sisters, Catherine Langston (John), and Henrietta Ward ; her brother-in-law, Ferris Ward (Eileen); her grandchildren, Andrew Hill, Rachel Ward, Jonathan Ward, Isabel Ward, Sophia Ward; and several nieces and nephews.

Bo was also a member of the Third Friday Book Club - the longest running book club in the history of Central Florida. She was a member for twenty years from 1987 to 2007 and was secretary from 1987-1988. A notation in the secretary's notes mentions her passing: "A gift was sent to the Orlando Public Library in memory of Bo Ward, who died in May 2007."

Read more about the Third Friday Book Club at OrlandoMemory.info http://orlandomemory.info/memory/organization/third-friday-book-club