Rev. Tania Lacora Ward
April 20, 1991 – December 12, 2025

With hearts that ache yet overflow with gratitude, we honor the life of Rev. Tania Lacora Ward, a radiant daughter of God whose love, faith, and joy touched everyone blessed to know her. On December 12, 2025, at the age of 34, Tania gently stepped from this life into the eternal presence of Jesus, leaving behind a legacy of love that words can scarcely contain.

From the moment Tania entered a room, you could feel the presence of God resting on her life. She carried a warmth that disarmed fear, a smile that brought peace, and a sincerity that made people feel truly seen. Tania didn’t just talk about God’s love; she exuded it. To be near her was to experience compassion, grace, and genuine care flowing effortlessly from her spirit.

Above all else, Tania loved Jesus with every fiber of her being. Her faith was not performative or loud. It was deep, steady, and real. Jesus was her anchor, her joy, her guide, and her strength. Everything she did flowed from that relationship.

Tania’s greatest earthly joy was the life she built alongside her beloved husband, Rev. Ly’Jerrick S. Ward, whom she adored and faithfully served with for nearly ten years. Together, they co-pastored Acts Campus Ministry at Eastern Illinois University, pouring their hearts into students, ministry, and community life. They did not merely lead a ministry. They lived it, side by side, loving people patiently, sacrificially, and sincerely. Though her earthly journey has ended, her work is not finished. Her husband, Ly’Jerrick, along with the students and leaders of Acts Campus Ministry, will continue the legacy they so lovingly built together. The seeds she planted—in hearts, in faith, in lives—will keep bearing fruit.

She was a devoted and tender mother to their two precious sons, Lyson Andrew Ward (2½ years old) and Liam Stephan Ward (8 months old). Her boys were her miracles. After doctors told Tania she would never be able to have children, God surprised her with not one, but two beautiful sons, living testimonies of His power and faithfulness. Motherhood filled Tania with awe and gratitude, and she embraced it with a love that was fierce, gentle, and overflowing.

Tania was deeply connected to EIU, her alma mater and second home. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a Master of Science in College Student Affairs, later returning to serve as a faculty advisor. Students trusted her, leaned on her, and felt safe with her. She listened without judgment, encouraged without condition, and believed in people often before they believed in themselves.

After earning her Master of Divinity, Tania became an ordained and licensed minister with Christ Ministries Inc. She loved her church family dearly and viewed ministry not as a platform, but as a calling to love people well. Whether she was praying, teaching, mentoring, or simply sitting with someone in pain, Tania ministered with humility, wisdom, and the gentlest heart.

Many described her as an angel among us, and truly, she was. Her life reflected a rare blend of strength and gentleness, joy and depth, conviction and kindness. She lived quietly but powerfully, leaving fingerprints of God’s love on countless lives.

Tania is survived by her loving husband, Ly’Jerrick, their cherished sons, Lyson Andrew and Liam Stephan, and a wide circle of family, friends, students, colleagues, and loved ones who will forever carry her light in their hearts.

Though her time with us feels far too short, her love did not end, it multiplied. Her faith continues to speak. Her joy still echoes. And her impact lives on in every life she touched.

She now dwells in the radiant presence of the King of kings, Jesus Christ—the One she loved, served, and trusted with her whole heart. “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Please join us for a Celebration of Life honoring Rev. Tania Lacora Ward at:

3:00 PM, Friday, January 16, 2026
Eastern Illinois University
Grand Ballroom

In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor the family are invited to consider a donation to the Ward Family GoFundMe.