Indiana man leaves behind Miracle Whip, Hamburger Helper and a rollicking obituary

Jean Lahm's father "lived to make people laugh," she told the Chicago Tribune.

"For sure, the obituary matches his personality," Lahm said.

His parting gift — his obituary, posted on Geisen Funeral Home's website — has kept that laughter going.

The piece details the basics: that Terry Wayne Ward, 71, of DeMotte, Ind., was a husband of 48 years, father of three and grandfather of seven. But also that he had accumulated about 3,000 rolls of black electrical tape from his time as a lineman — he gave "39 years of begrudging service" to "AT&T (formerly Ameritech, formerly formerly Indiana Bell)." He knew hot sauce could be put on anything and hated "uppity foods" like hummus — unless it was called "bean dip," in which case he loved it.

The Vietnam War veteran had "zero working knowledge of the Kardashians" and knew automobiles were never to be purchased new.

And he loved everything — including snorkeling, cold beer, free beer and Bed Bath & Beyond. Most importantly, he left behind "32 jars of Miracle Whip, 17 boxes of Hamburger Helper and multitudes of other random items that would prove helpful in the event of a zombie apocalypse."

The humor of the piece gained the attention of strangers on social media, and several wish they had met Ward. The obituary invites them all to share stories of "the great Terry Ward" after making a donation to their favorite watering hole or a charity.

With all this attention people on their cellphones are giving to a guy who never owned one himself, Lahm knows her dad is getting a kick out of all of this.

"I know he's up there laughing hysterically," she said.

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Nate Chute is a producer with IndyStar. Follow him on Twitter at @nchute.