Ward Cheney was a 1947 graduate of Fountain Hill High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In 1951, he earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics from Lehigh University, where his father was a physics professor. During undergraduate summers, Ward worked for the United States Forest Service, where he met Elizabeth "Beth" Jean, whom he married in 1952. The young couple resided in Lawrence, Kansas, while Ward studied and served as a mathematics instructor at The University of Kansas, earning his Ph.D. in 1957. Ward had three children with his first wife, Beth, all of whom earned doctorates: daughter Margaret is a professor of mathematics, son David is a manager of international research projects, and son Elliott is a professional cellist.
