Obituary of Jim Ballah
Visitation: Friday, October 19, 2012 after 5:00pm at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford. Family will be present from 5:00-7:00pm
Service: Saturday, October 20, 2012 at 2:00pm at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Terril
Burial: Fairview Cemetery, Terril
James L. Ballah was born July 3, 1934 in Terril, Iowa, the son of James L. Ballah, Sr. and Dessie (Miller) Ballah. He graduated high school and completed one year of college.
On April 25, 1954, Jim was united in marriage to Louise (Hanson) Ballah in Ruthven, Iowa. Jim lived on the family farm north of Terril for over seventy years. He was a member of the Terril Elevator Board and served as a trustee for Immanuel Lutheran Church in Terril.
Jim was a man of faith, family and friends. In high school he loved playing football, basketball and baseball. He enjoyed getting together for neighborhood card parties with friends. Throughout his life he had a passion for the outdoors and hunting but he had no greater passion than his livelihood of farming and never really gave it up. As he got older, Jim always enjoyed his daily visits to meet the "gang" for coffee in town.
Jim worked hard, played hard and loved us all. Nothing was more important to him than his faith, church and family. He loved his children and grandchildren unconditionally and with amazing generosity. But the love of his life was his wife of fifty-eight years, Louise. He loved to travel with her and make her laugh. Those memories will last a lifetime.
Jim passed away October 17, 2012 at his home in Terril, Iowa at seventy-eight years of age.
He is survived by his wife, Louise; one sister, Carolyn Gelenter; children, Dan (Linda) Ballah, Sheryl (Rick) Boldon and Lori (Jeff) Stoltenberg; grandchildren, Matt Feldman, Jamie and Nicole Ballah, Brooke (Jesse) Nitchals, Russ (Amy) Billings and Patty (Adam) Koester; four great-grandchildren, Lane, Cruz, Lively and Grace; one sister-in-law, Carol Villella and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Alice Ballah.
