Obituaries 18 September 2017

Richard H. Balk dies at 79

Richard H. Balk, age 79, of Lawler, passed away peacefully after a short battle with cancer, on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 at his home with his family by his side.
Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017 at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler, with Father Kyle Digmann celebrating the mass.  Burial will be in St. Rose Cemetery rural Waucoma.  Patrick Balk, Brent Balk, Kyle Balk, Harvey Zweibohmer, Alan Zweibohmer, and Herbie Zweibohmer  will serve as casket bearers.
Visitation will be held 3 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept.19, 2017 at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler with a Rosary at 2:45 p.m. and a Scriptural Wake Service at 7 p.m..  Visitation  will continue one hour prior to mass the day of the service at the church.  Online condolences for Richard’s family may be left at www.conway-markhamfh.com.  Memorials may be directed to the family. Military rites by Lawler Color Guard.
Richard Herman Balk was born on Dec. 9, 1937 on a farm southeast of Lawler, to Hugo and Edith (Hayek) Balk.  He attended school in Waucoma.  He enlisted in the United States Army in 1961 for six months then reserves until 1967.  In February 1963 in Lawler, Richard met the love of his life, a cute girl from Ossian.  He got the engagement ring in June and the couple were married on Oct. 5, 1963 at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church in Ossian.  Together they farmed with IH equipment for 48 years until they retired.  For three years Richard worked for the Title Atlas Company.  He enjoyed farming, going to auctions, polka music and Molly B, driving around the countryside, looking at cemeteries and going to the grandchildren’s events.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of almost 54 years Ruth Balk of Lawler; his children Diane (Carl) Daugherty and their children Cooper and Emma of Conroy, Iowa, Dan (Katherine) Balk and their children Brooke, Deanna, Megan and Luke of Waucoma, and Doug (Karen) Balk and their children Bode and Bree of Lawler; his brother David (Maxine) Balk of Waucoma, and sister-in-law Charlene Zweibohmer of Ossian.
Richard is preceded in death by his parents Hugo and Edith Balk, in-laws Hugo and Angela Zweibohmer and brother-in-law Herbert Zweibohmer.
 

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