Rev. Ward B. Oakshott

"Abide with me"

September 11, 1940 - June 5, 2017

Ward B. Oakshott was baptized shortly after birth by the nuns who helped deliver him, as it appeared the struggling newborn might not live. He survived to go home with parents Thomas I. and Ruth (Stolts) Oakshott, to grow up in his fondly remembered Colville, WA with brother Tom, amid close bonds with cousins, aunts and uncles, neighbors and family friends.

Physical health that never fully stabilized couldn't impede his life-long growth in wisdom and kindness, curiosity and insight into humans and critters, and profound respect for gifts of difference in nationalities, cultures and religious traditions. Each person he encountered - from Dog House wait staff to doctors, artists, salespersons, rabbis, house-keepers - was a story to be savored, part of a wondrous, unfolding whole.

Educated at Sewanee Military Academy, Ft. Wright College and the University of Washington, Ward earned a Master of Arts degree and went on to teach high school English before realizing his vocation to the Catholic priesthood. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Seattle by Archbishop Raymond G. Hunthausen in 1977 at St. Thomas More parish in Lynnwood, WA after serving his diaconate at St. Mary parish in Monroe. His additional Masters degree in theology, along with his accomplishments in liturgy and homiletics, led to appointment to the faculty of The American College (Roman Catholic seminary) of Louvain, Belgium, from 1980-1982. Subsequently he was appointed liturgical and theological consultant, and later Coordinator for Worship Resources, for the Seattle archdiocese.

Fr. Oakshott served in parish ministry at Sacred Heart, Bellevue; Holy Family, Seattle; St. James Cathedral, Seattle; St. Frances Cabrini, Lakewood; St. Cecilia, Bainbridge Island; Christ the King, Seattle; and most recently St. Thomas More, Lynnwood. He was also called to provide chaplaincy for Pacific Lutheran University; St. Vincent de Paul Society of Seattle-King County, the Office for AIDS Ministry (Archdiocese of Seattle;) and Dignity Seattle.

Unofficially... this man who preferred being called 'Ward' rather than 'Father' was uniquely approachable - in the church, on the street, in time of need, in joy of friendship and community. His nephew captured it this way: "I was amazed at the friends Ward had. When we would go to lunch, there would always be people stopping by the table to say hello. Ward brought peace to many people, he was a champion for those who most needed one (but he would refuse that title), and he no doubt brought many to God." A former parishioner described his homilies as "always down to earth... memorable stories tied to practical advice you could take out the door and live by." He was known to live a life of extraordinary simplicity and generosity, with a tendency to give away belongings and empty his pockets to help someone out.

Preceded in death by his parents and brother, he is survived by beloved cousins Roger, Virginia and Claudia, sister-in-law Patricia, nephew Scott, and the many hundreds of people who carry some part of him with them.

Special thanks are due the outstanding staff of Anderson House Skilled Nursing Center, who attended to him with such personal respect, care and thoughtfulness that enabled him to pass in peace.

In remembrance, he would most certainly encourage all of us to become more intentional in kindness, more appreciative of creation, more ready to be forgivers and healers; to expect God to show up in unexpected faces... and to rejoice every chance we get.

In words of the prayer by Henry F. Lyte (1847) that has accompanied him on this journey:

Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Funeral Mass will be held Monday, June 12th at 11:00 AM at
St. Thomas More Church
6511 176th St. SW, Lynnwood, WA

Hoffner Fisher & Harvey
Guestbook at harveyfuneral.com

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