George E. Balch Jr.'s Obituary
George E. Balch, Jr. Sept. 28, 1925 - May 1, 2017 George E. Balch, Jr., known as "Bud" to his family and close friends, was born Sept. 28, 1925 in Idaho Falls, ID. He attended Baker City, OR schools through sophomore grade, then graduated from Longview, WA high school in 1943. He joined the US Army during World War II, serving in the Pacific area; following that, he graduated from the University of Oregon, having played on the Ducks football team and lettered in swimming. George was preceded by his wife Barbara and daughter Muriel Gordon (John). He is survived by his wife Betty and his daughter Valerie Ufer (Stephen), as well as his stepchildren Susan Neff and Charles Neff; also surviving are his sisters Joice Himmelsback (Ralph) and Barbara Burness, as well as nephew Jimmie and nieces Debra, Chris, Kimmie, and Christmas Carroll, grandsons Robbie and Trevor, granddaughter Kristine, and two great-granddaughters. George worked as the NW Sales Representative for Binney and Smith, the Crayola people, for forty years. His area covered Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and Hawaii. He received the National Salesman Award for Excellence 2 years in a row. Most Unusual. George was a 50-plus-year member of the Tacoma Elks Club and a lifetime member of the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, OR. He had many wonderful friends there, and won many handball competitions there. Handball was the love of his life in sports and for which he won over 100 trophies and awards. At the age of 81 he entered the World Handball competition in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and won second place in the world in singles handball in his age group. Gardening was his second passion as he had over 80 varieties of rare plants and trees at his Lakewood home. He personally cared for his yard until he was 88 years old. He was a kind, generous, loving man. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2017, at 1:00 pm in Lakewood, WA at Mountain View Funeral Home, located at 42100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW. In lieu of flowers, George requests that a donation be made to the University of Washington prostate cancer research team in Seattle, or a charity of your choice . George's genealogy includes the Balch Home, Beverly, MA, oldest home in the US, 1636, and Steilacoom, first settlement in the territory of Washington, by Lafayette Balch. This is for history buffs.
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