Ward Alan Monroe, 71, of Wichita, Kansas, passed away on April 12th, 2025 at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas after a prolonged battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Born to Fern Emogene Monroe and Marvin Ruel Monroe on June 7th, 1953, Ward grew up in Wichita, along with older brother Mark Ellis Monroe and younger sister Marla Denise Monroe. He studied briefly at Wichita State University before beginning a long career in the aircraft industry at age 20. Around the same time, in 1974, he married the girl who once lived across the street, Sharon Marie Black, with whom he also went to middle school. Together, they moved to Andover, Kansas in 1979 and welcomed two children, Carson Drew Monroe in 1983, and Sheena Nicole Monroe in 1984. After experiencing the aircraft industry from the perspective of several different major local companies, he retired early from Cessna in 2016, after which he enjoyed reading, traveling, woodworking, and catching ‘retired-guy’ naps. Ward was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Sharon Monroe, his aforementioned son and daughter, daughter-in-law Amber Renae Monroe, granddaughters Eleanor Mae Monroe and Mackenzie Claire Monroe, sister Marla Hengel of Derby, Kansas, and sister-in-law Sandra Monroe, of Wichita, Kansas. A celebration of life will be held on June 7th, 2025 at a location to be determined. Please search his name at EverLoved.com for more details regarding donations and flowers.