It is quite possible that history never had a more devoted fan than Winfield "Buz" Ward III.

As a self-proclaimed historian of Jackson County, Ward’s knowledge and passion will be sorely missed by those who knew him, and even those who only knew of him.

After relocating to Jefferson in 2003, Ward became busy with helping to preserve local history. He most recently served as chairman of the Jefferson Historic Preservation commission and co-chairman of the Jackson County Commission to Restore the Courthouse.

Committee members and neighbors alike were saddened by the 59-year-old’s sudden death on June 20.

"From the stand point of his contributions to the community, (Ward) can not be replaced," said Len Sturkey, a Jefferson resident. "I lived a couple of doors down from him and I miss him dearly. He was a person of principle, an animal lover and the neighborhood children loved him. They would flock to his house; they looked at him as a sort of grandfather figure."

Although Ward was a truck driver by trade, history was his passion, friends and family members say.

"He was a robust character. He was very passionate about restoring the old courthouse and all historic preservation work," said Charlotte Mealor, chairwoman of the restoration commission.

"He was always ready to put his shoulder to the wheel and get a project started."

No job was too big or small for Ward. He approached each task with equal enthusiasm, whether getting dirty removing pavers in front of the historic courthouse so that they could be reused or helping to catalog the hundreds of artifacts in the Crawford W. Long Museum collections.

His passion for preserving history was matched only by his passion for historical accuracy.

"He was a stickler for details. If things were done a certain way back then, then that was the way (Ward) wanted it done now," said Beth Laughinghouse, who worked with Ward on the Jefferson historic commission. "There was no cutting corners with him."

Ward’s eye for detail helped to uncover more than one historic gem.

While clearing out items in the historic courthouse, Ward unearthed many items, including a spittoon from the 1800s and unused, leatherbound Jefferson court ledgers from 1913 and 1925. Ward gave many of his items to Laughinghouse for safe keeping until the courthouse renovation project is completed.

Although Ward was born in Detroit and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, his sister, Sue Johnston of Douglasville, is not surprised that he made Jefferson his final home.

"He always said that his ideal home would be an antique in a small town in Georgia," Johnston said. "We used to go out and look at homes together and he just fell in love with this one. It was perfect for him; it had a lot of history."

Ward’s home on Martin Street was built in the 1800s and was originally the First Baptist Church of Jefferson.

Despite a 30-year career transporting equipment for such musical acts as Rick James and Brooks and Dunn, Johnston said it’s fitting that Ward turned his attention to history.

"His love for history came from our parents," Johnston said. "When we were growing up, we would go for family drives on Sundays. We would often stop and have our picnic lunch in a church cemetery. Our mom always said that was the best way to learn local history, by reading the tombstones. She was also an antiquer; she did a lot of painting restorations. She always made sure we knew about history."

Johnston says that their mother also hated to see old photographs thrown out and would often visit antique shops and purchase the pictures.

"As children, we would make up stories about all the old photographs that she had laying around the house," said Johnston. "We all told stories, but (Ward’s) were always the best."

Ward is survived by two sisters, two brothers and many other family members.

Although he was an integral part of the efforts to restore the historic courthouse in Jefferson, committee members say that they are striving to pick up where he left off.

"We will miss him greatly. He was a very strong presence on the commission. We are going to miss his passion, his knowledge and his work ethic," Mealor said. "We are going to continue on with the project. He would want us to. And we hope to have something in the finished courthouse to honor him."