Dance teacher dies at age 79

Gayle Humphries Ward taught dance lessons in Columbus for nearly six decades.

Now, her former students are mourning the loss of their beloved teacher who died Friday at Columbus Hospice at 79.

“Words like ‘end of an era,’ ‘dancing icon,’ ‘icon in Columbus,’ those kind of things are what people are posting on Facebook,” said Kim Rozycki, a second cousin who began taking dance lessons from Ward as a toddler. “As far as teaching, she just loved all of her students. ... She just thought that every child was special and made every one of them feel like they were just the cat’s meow.”

Ward, a native of Columbus, began dance lessons at 2 years old, according to her obituary. She opened her first dance studio at age 19 after her father purchased a building on Britt Avenue for her business. At the time, Ward was studying dance in New York City.

She eventually had seven locations in Columbus and Phenix City, teaching thousands of students ballet, tap, ballroom and other dance moves, the family said. She retired about five years ago, and on Monday her Facebook page had posts from students and parents mourning her loss.

“You were a blessing to everyone you taught,” wrote Tina Sherman. “... I hate to tell the girls, but I know you’re up there dancing in heaven.”

Ward, a mother and grandmother, also taught Sunday School at Edgewood Baptist Church for many years and served as a Ronald McDonald House volunteer.

The family received friends Monday evening at McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory in her memory; and funeral services will be held 11 a.m. today at Edgewood Baptist Church, 3564 Forrest Road.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Gayle Humphries Dance Scholarship, C/O CSU Foundation, 4225 University Avenue, Columbus, GA 31907; or the Alzheimer's Association, 5156 River Road, Columbus, GA 31904.

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Dance teacher dies at age 79."