Kevin Lee Ward was drawn to the fire service because of his enjoyment of working with people and helping others and because of all of the good things about the job he heard from his younger brother. He served the community of Redding with honor and distinction for 28 years as a firefighter and as a member of the swift water rescue and HAZMAT teams. Outside of work, Kevin enjoyed hunting, fishing, water skiing and riding horses with his wife. Kevin succumbed to the effects of job-related cancer and is survived by his wife, Vicky, their sons, Tyler and Derek, and his three siblings, Mike, Darrin and Danette, along with his mother Evelyn.