Former Montgomery County Supervisor Kenny Ware was laid to rest Monday morning in Oakwood Cemetery, following funeral services at Oliver Funeral Home.
Ware, 75, passed away on November 17, 2019, at University of Mississippi Medical Center following a brief illness. He is survived by his wife, Nina Ware, five children, 16 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
A second-generation heavy equipment operator in Montgomery County, where he lived his entire life, Ware served on the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, representing District 2, for 24 years before retiring from public office in 2015.
Former Montgomery County Chancery Clerk Talmadge “Tee” Golden, who was elected four years before Ware, served with Ware his entire tenure as a supervisor.
“Kenny took his job as a Montgomery County Supervisor seriously,” Golden said. “Kenny loved Montgomery County, but he truly loved his District 2. He gave his all for his [District]. Many a board meeting, we would argue something terrible, but when the meeting was over, Kenny would ask us to go out to eat with him and buy our meal. Since our retirement, Kenny and I have been regulars at the morning Bridges Coffee Crew, with Kenny holding court most of the time. Kenny was a very good friend, and I will truly miss him.”
In a December 2015 interview with The Winona Times, in which Ware spoke about his decision not to seek re-election in 2015, he said when he first ran for office in 1991, he hoped to accomplish two things: a county-wide road paving program and to save taxpayers money.
“I thought the supervisors made too much,” said Ware in 2015.
He pledged to only keep $500 per month and donate the remaining salary to local schools and libraries. He said during his tenure he has given more than $100,000 back to the community.
In addition, Ware said he refused to take a county-issued pick-up truck.
“Eventually, no one took a truck,” Ware said. “As far as I know, [Montgomery County] is the only county not to take a truck.”
Of his more than two decades in office, Ware said he was proud of what he and his fellow supervisors accomplished over the years, stating that during that time several new county buildings were built — like the Montgomery County Coliseum, the Life Help building, the National Guard Armory, and the Montgomery County Justice Court Complex — and the county’s paving program was launched.
Ware explained that the county issued general obligation bonds to initially fund the program – to purchase paving equipment and fund the first year. The plan included a three mill tax obligation each year earmarked for paving roads throughout the county, which at the time would pave two miles in each of the county’s five supervisor districts each year.
“[The paving program] is the big thing,” said Ware in 2015. “I believe if I hadn’t got the paving program started, I don’t think they would have a paving program today.”
Ware did not seek re-election in 2014, but he continued operating his construction business, something he said he enjoyed.
Source: Winona Times & Conservative, The (Winona, Carrolton, MS) – Thursday, November 21, 2019
Kenneth Ware had a very important hero in his ancestral line, a hero by the name of Joseph Weir, who assisted a run away slave, for Joseph’s selfless act of humanity he was hung to death on June 20 1828. No statue stands for this hero, no pardon has been given to him, no restitution has been made to his family’s loss of a love one and a provider to his wife and family. I have found no grave for this brave soul and he and his heroism are not on findagrave.com .It’s my hope that one of his decendets takes up the responsibility to exonerate this brave man.God has recognized his good works, now is the time that all people know his name and sacrifice.