Larry Balk

Larry Oliver Balk, age 84 died April 29, 2019 with family by his side. He was born July 3, 1934 in Gilmanton, WI, the son of Oscar “Hockey” and Lois (Britton) Balk. Larry married Lois Ann Thea Sather, also of Gilmanton on June 17, 1956. Larry worked as a soil conservationist in Buffalo County for 42 years. He was involved in the Lions Club, was part of a group that started Wings over Alma, actively involved in many other community initiatives and served on the Buffalo County board for several terms. Larry loved his family, 8 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. He loved traveling with Lois and was passionate about his photography. He passed on his love of sports, supporting Alma school sports over the years and attending and cheering on the Packers and Badgers. He was a long-time member of St. John Lutheran Church. Larry will be sadly missed by his wife Lois of Alma and his son Randy and his wife Kari of Rothschild, WI and their children Jordan Balk, his wife Hailey and their daughter Nora of Weston, WI, Josie Burg, her husband Jake and children Nolan and Quinn of Wausau, WI and Anna Smallwood and husband Dylan of Rochester, MN. He will also be missed by his son John and his wife Karla of Colorado Springs, CO, their daughter Maren Rivers, her husband David and their son Nathan of Denver, CO, Kelsey Grimm, her husband Jordan and their children Odin and Torben of Iowa City, IA, Erika Balk and her fiancé Nate of Minneapolis, MN and John Karl Balk of Bozeman, MT. Larry will also be missed by his sister Jane Dale of Powell, OH, his brother Gary Britton of Columbus, Ohio and 9 nieces and nephews, along with many other relatives and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Oscar and Lois, grandparents Herman and Ella Balk, Ira and Iva Britton and his grandson Nathan John Balk. A funeral service will be held at St. John Lutheran Church, Alma on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 11:00 am. Burial to immediately follow at Alma Memorial Cemetery. A lunch will be provided at St. John’s after the service. A visitation will be held at Talbot Family Funeral Homes, Alma Chapel on Friday, May 10 from 4:00 -7:00 pm and then again at church on Saturday from 10:00 am until the time of service. Memorial donations may be made in Larry’s honor to St. John Lutheran Church or Wings over Alma. The family would like to extend a special thank you to all the friends that have supported Larry and Lois over the years and to the staff at Copperleaf Memory Care Center and Aspirus Hospice in Rothschild, WI.