James Daniel Ware

Our Dad was born on September 11, 1931, in Norwood, Massachusetts, to Anna McDonald of Nova Scotia, Canada, and William Russell Ware of Walpole, Massachusetts. He was raised by Daniel and Harriet Meservey in Franklin, Massachusetts, along with his brother, Bobby. From the age of 2 Jimmie lived on the Meservey's small farm and learned to live off the land with no running water or indoor plumbing. He helped with the chores of bringing in firewood, collecting eggs from the chickens, and gardening. At the age of 12 years, he endured the heartache of losing his beloved brother, Bobby, age 14, through a tragic farm accident. Dad loved the Boston Red Sox, and when he took the train from Franklin into Boston to visit his mother, he might get a few dollars to go into Fenway Park. Five dollars bought a bleacher seat, a hot dog and Coke, and a program. He taught himself how to score a game. He also loved watching his foster brother, Danny Meservey, race cars in Seekonk and Laconia. After graduating from Franklin High School in 1949, he began work at Franklin Furniture, then got a job as a dispatcher at the Foxboro Company until 1963. He married Shirley Scott on March 31, 1951. They had their first child in 1954, and six more children quickly followed. He built two houses for his growing family, the first one at 113 Mill Street in Foxboro, the second one at 55 West Street. His foster father, Daniel Meservey, helped him build both houses. He learned skills by "doing," thus working himself into the custom cabinet field in 1973, which he did for 23 years. He put out hundreds of full-kitchen cabinets and countertops from the confines of the small basement of his house. He never owned a truck and improvised ways to transport the cabinets on top of his station wagon, and then he installed the entire set, usually by himself. He spent many hours in the evening designing the kitchen and drafting on paper, using his inherent math skills. He was still building countertops until 1998 when he was 65 years old, at which time he turned the Ware Cabinet business over to his son, Barre. In 1966 he started studying the Bible with a building contractor, Cliff Turner, who had hired Dad to build cabinets. Cliff became a very close friend, and after about a year of Bible studies Dad decided that the Bible Sabbath was the true day to worship on, and he and his family were baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Dad was so on fire about the Bible truth that he embarked on the profession of colporteuring (selling religious books door-to-door). He found great success and reward in this very difficult work for three or four years. He received recognition for high sales. He was an excellent conversationalist. People used to say he could "talk a dog off the back of a meat wagon." He spent most of his adult life in active service to his church, first at St. Mary's Catholic Church as a Sunday School teacher, and then in the Seventh-day Adventist church as teacher, board member, and evangelizing. Dad never traveled much until he was 60 years old. With a large family and living frugally, he only took his family to Cape Cod once a year to stay in a beachfront cottage, and a long road trip to Nova Scotia to visit his sister, Doreen. In 1991 Dad married Rosa Janayon. They moved to Ruckersville, Virginia in 1998. Dad was under her loving care for the last two years of his life. Mr. Ware is survived by his loving wife, Rosa Janayon Ware; his children, Debra King of Bozeman, Montana, Linda Cavanagh of Douglas, Massachusetts, Barre Ware of Syracuse, New York, and Wendy Wessels of Cheyenne, Wyoming; 16 grandchildren; and 28 great grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his ex-wife, Shirley Scott Ware; his sons, Jamie Ware and Kevin Ware; his daughter, Susan Lockwood; his sister, Doreen MacGillivray; and his brother, Robert Ware. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, December 10, 2023at 3 p.m. at Amicus Seventh Day Adventist Church, 3980 Jacks Shop Rd. Rochelle, VA 22738, with Pastor Armando Lopez officiating. An online guestbook is available at www.compassionatecremationva.com Compassionate Cremation Services of Ruckersville, VA is handling the arrangements.

James Daniel Ware

September 11, 1931 - December 2, 2023