Obituary of Esther Balock

Esther Virginia Balock, born in Gordon, Pennsylvania on July 21, 1929, passed from this world on March 28, 2013.

She is survived by her devoted children David Balock (Desra), Susan Sunter (Bill), Liz Stafford, Steve Balock and Marsha Isham (Pat) along with fifteen grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, her sister Dot and brother Jack (Janet) along with her extended family, the Faradays. Her son George predeceased her as did her father Raymond, mother Ruth and siblings, Raymond (Bups), Ruth (Sis), Carol Ann, Jim and Butch, along with many nieces and nephews.

She was very proud of her work in various assembly jobs. Starting at the bubble gum factory to the cigar factory to Wedge-It. She always said her hands had a life of their own, which, if you knew her were always moving.

Mom-Mom was quite the gypsy, having lived in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida, North Carolina, New York, Colorado, Nevada and Washington. She enjoyed cooking and needle work. Who doesn't have a fabulous afghan to snuggle up with that she crafted?! She was also famous for lemon chicken and "blob" soup.

Mostly she enjoyed her family and a good glass of Port Wine. Many of her grand babies would get to have sleep overs to share a junk plate. She was also an ardent animal lover, especially of her beloved Scruffs. She was a competitive game player, though somehow it was the other side that usually benefitted from her answers; she couldn't help herself from blurting out the answers if she knew them!

In summing up Mom's life, she was a giving, loving mother and friend. She loved to share, whether it was a plate of food or her crafts. She was adamant that she was going straight to heaven, no lingering for her. Now she's reunited with Her Georgie, her life-long friends Dolly and Eddie and the one that always remembered to bring her something back from his world travels, Jim.

She will be laid to rest up the mountain at the home of her sister Dot and family in Ashland, Pennsylvania. As she is looking down on us all she would do the V8 whack to the forehead and say "Of course this makes sense. It's where my roots are and I still have family there. Sure I've lived all over the place. But upstate was my childhood...when I had my daddy, the hunting cabin, gardening our own food, wringing the necks of our pigeons and whacking our bunnies for dinner, picking coal; all the things poor families did to survive after the depression. Up state is where Granny and my 7 siblings struggled after the untimely death of our father, where generous people would buy a little girl a pair of shoes and give her something to eat, where I fell in love, married and started my family, where the Balock family spent so much happy times with the Stanitis's. "

So one of the last things we can do for our Mother is to take her home.

This is the true meaning of family.....all hearts beating and breaking as one. Mom was one of a kind; the only one we got in this life.

Mom, we will miss you.