Richard H. Balk

Monday, September 18, 2017 3:27 pm

Richard H. Balk, 79, of Lawler, passed away peacefully after a short battle with cancer Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, at his home with his family by his side. Mass of Christian burial is at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, at Our Lady of Mt Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler, with Father Kyle Digmann celebrating the mass. Burial is 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 is 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, 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 continues one hour prior to mass the day of the service at the church. Online condolences for Richard’s family may be left at conway-markhamfh.com. Memorials may be directed to the family. Military rites by Lawler Color Guard.

Richard Herman Balk was born 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 the 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 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, 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.