Richard Hamilton Ward, known to all as Kip, died after a short hospital stay, on Friday, February 16, 2018 at Union Hospital in Elkton, Maryland, with his wife, Donna by his side.

He was born on March 13, 1948 in Woodbury New Jersey to Herbert Hamilton Ward and Kathryn Summerill Ward, and was the second of five children. With his father serving in the Navy, Kip and his family traveled both in the states and abroad.

Kip attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a soccer scholarship and received a degree in “Creative Writing, Religion and Art,” created especially for him. After graduation, Kip worked in the Athletic Department at UNC, promoting the non-revenue sports at Carolina – Kip was a Tar Heel through and through.

Kip co-founded in 1972, along with Victoria Brawley, Rainbow Soccer a recreational soccer league that is still in operation today. The friendship and bonds formed at Rainbow endure.

In Kip’s Rainbow world, you didn’t keep score, everyone was a winner and what was important was being in the game. In the seventies, Kip directed the Rainbow Soccer Camp, an instructional summer camp in which college athletes and experienced players taught “the beautiful game” to youth.

Kip spent many years in London, England but finally decided to settle down in Elkton, Maryland with his wife, Donna Tamayo-Ward. Along with Donna, Kip is survived by his daughters: Alessandra Starr Ward, Katy Tamayo, Beth Tamayo, son in law TJ Sanders and grandchildren: Zachary Tamayo, Jayden Sanders and Riley Sanders as well as his brothers Herbert Henry Ward IV and Joseph Summerill Ward. Kip’s family and friends span the globe.

Throughout his life Kip was engaged passionately in community organizations and enterprises including the Rotary Club, Elk River Yacht Club in Maryland, the Loom Press in Chapel Hill and Order of the Golden Fleece, the oldest and highest honorary society at UNC. He had an innate genius for promotion, for Rainbow Soccer and UNC sports teams, as a successful campaign manager for a candidate for Cecil County Circuit Judge, and most recently as co-owner and caregiver for T-Ward Homecare. His love and caring spirit spread throughout everything and everyone he touched

Celebrations of his life are being held in both Maryland on April 7, 2018 at St Mary Annes Episcopal Church in North East Maryland at 11 am and Carrboro, North Carolina at the Art Center on Sunday March 11 ,2018 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation can be made to youcaring.com in the name of Richard “Kip” Ward.