Maxine S. Ballard

BOULDER, COLO. Maxine S. Ballard, 94, of Boulder, Colo., died of natural causes, Sunday, Nov. 11, in Boulder.

Per Maxine's request, the family will be returning her to her beloved Montana for a very personal memorial service, and there will be no formal memorial service for her. Crist Mortuary of Boulder handled arrangements.

Maxine passed at the age of 94 on November 11, 2012, surrounded by family and friends. She was born to Hugh Max Sprague and Arvonia Elizabeth Vaughn Sprague of Great Falls. Maxine grew up in Great Falls and attended both Great Falls Junior and Senior Highs. She went on to attend Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., and worked at the Federal Reserve and IBM in the San Francisco area, as well as spending time in the Los Angeles area before World War II. During WWII, Maxine returned to Great Falls and worked at the Anaconda Copper Company. After the war, Maxine moved to Spokane, where she met Jack A. Ballard Sr. from Union, W.V., and on Dec. 27, 1947, they were married in Great Falls.

Maxine and her family moved approximately 53 times over the next 22 years due to Jack Sr.'s work with the U.S. Geological Survey as a topographic map maker. Finally, Maxine and her family settled in Golden, Colo., in 1969, and she resided there from 1969-1998 and in Boulder from 1998-2012.

Maxine was a housewife, mother, volunteer (Foothills Art Gallery and Golden Chamber of Commerce) and worked as an executive assistant for the Golden Junior High School principal from 1970-1987. She loved to travel, and when she retired, she was able to visit all of Earth's continents, with the exception of Antarctica, on several amazing trips. She was as far north as Iceland and the Arctic Circle and as far south as Tierra del Fuego at the tip of South America.

Maxine will be greatly missed and is survived by her son, Jack A. Ballard Jr. of Golden; her daughter, Nancy V. Glissmann; her grandchildren, Robert, Gwyneth and Garrett Glissmann of Boulder; her sister, Elizabeth "Beth" Sprague Wackernagel of Missoula; and her brother, Hugh Vaughn Sprague of Seattle.

In lieu of memorials, please feel free to make a donation to the Employee "Holiday Fund" at Wynwood Ridge Point, where Maxine spent her last years in their care. Checks can be made payable to "Holiday Fund – Wynwood Ridge Point" and mailed or dropped off at 3375 34th St, Boulder, CO 80301, or for more information, please call Leanne Wise at 303-263-2164.

Condolences may be posted online at www.gftribune.com/obituaries.