Darrell Ward was born on 13 August 1964 in Deer Lodge, Montana, USA, and was best known as a truck driver and a television personality as well, perhaps most recognized from appearing on the History Channel in the “Ice Road Truckers” series. He passed away in 2016.
So just how rich was Darrell Ward? Authoritative sources report that Ward’s net worth was as high as $500,000, accumulated largely from his over three decades long career in the previously mentioned fields involving truck driving.
Darrell Ward Net Worth $500,000
Ward stated that truck driving was always a part of his life; he used to help his grandparents with harvesting rings, and would later on drive trucks from Montana to Alaska. Prior to his TV fame, he helped local authorities fight forest fires, but by the time he joined the cast of History Channel’s ‘’Ice Road Truckers’’, Darrell had had thirty years experience in driving. The previously mentioned television series documentary was focused on the adventures of the cast during winters in Canada. The series initially received a mediocre to mixed response, and holds the score of six point four out of ten stars on IMDB, based on 2,465 reviews. Darrell worked in the series from 2012 until 2015. He became a part of the cast during the show’s sixth season, making his debut in the episode entitled ‘’ Aces and Jokers’’ which aired on 3 June 2012, with that episode itself receiving mostly positive reviews. Darrell’s passion for adventures and compassion for his cast mates resulted in him becoming the fan’s favorite participant. Having spent three years in ‘’Ice Road Truckers’’, Ward appeared in the total of 48 episodes. His last appearance was in the episode ‘’Icy Alliance’’, that aired on 18 October 2015, and so was a part of the main cast of the show until season 10.
Darrell died on 28 August 2016 in a plane crash that took place in Missoula, Montana, when he was returning from The Great American Truck Show. He and his co-pilot Mark Metz crashed nearby the Rock Creep airstrip – they were the only people on board. Ironically during that time, Ward was about to film a plane wreck-themed documentary. The crash itself was investigated by National Transportation Safety Board, but the preliminary report stated that the cause of the accident remains unknown, however, according to witnesses, the plane rapidly descended to hit the runway, followed by the ‘plane crashing into the trees and exploding. Nonetheless, the conclusion of the investigation will not be available until late 2017.
In his personal life, Darrell was married to Gwen Ward, and the couple had two children, Terra and Reno, and Ward was also a grandfather to his daughter’s children. Unsurprisingly he enjoyed outdoor activities such as fishing, camping, riding dirt bikes and hunting. Ward was widely recognized for his charity work too, supporting humanitarian causes,including helping the victims of the 2016 flooding in Louisiana. The Truck Convoy for the Special Olympics in Canada named him the grand marshal. His nickname was The Montana Legend and his motto ‘’Any Road, Any Load’’. Darrel’s cast mate and driving partner Lisa Kelly has spoken affectionately about their partnership.
