Angela Ward's funeral is set for 1 p.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church of Willow Park. Ward died Monday after tests indicated she had pneumonia and Type A influenza. She was first hospitalized at Weatherford Regional Medical Center on Friday afternoon after an illness began on Wednesday evening.
She was transferred to Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth where she later died on Monday. Tests are being conducted to determine if she had the H1N1 virus.
Ward, a Willow Park resident, had worked as an instructional aide for special education students at Mary Martin Elementary School in Weatherford since 2005. She is survived by her husband, Robert, and three children: Preston, Madison, and Coleton.
A memorial fund has been established for her family. Donations can be made to "Robert Ward Family" at the Compass Bank located at 102 N. Main St. in Weatherford.
If campuses close down this fall because big chunks of their student body are suffering from the H1N1 flu or the seasonal flu, schools officials will still be able to get healthy lunches to them.
School districts across Texas will be federally reimbursed for "grab and go" meals or meal deliveries made during a public health emergency, Department of Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced this week. The announcement said Staples asked the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to allow the reimbursements.
About 500,000 school children were affected by closures in Texas when swine flu emerged in late April. Fort Worth schools were closed for six days.
School and health officials have said they expect less widespread closures this fall, unless the H1N1 virus or swine flu gets stronger. They're focusing their efforts on preventing students from falling ill with either the swine flu or seasonal flu.
Nevertheless, Staples (that's him at the right) is urging districts to be prepared with a plan for distributing food, especially to low-income students, if the need arises.
"There are thousands of children who depend on meals served at school everyday, and we want to make sure schools have the option of continuing this crucial service, while still protecting students from any public health threat," Staples said in a press release.
