Merlene L. Ballard

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Northeastern State University

Merlene Ballard Obituary

Merlene L. BALLARD Merlene Lenore Ballard 'Nona' was born February 5, 1918 in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. She passed away on May 8, 2011 on Mother's Day. She was preceded in death by her parents Lucille and Ralph Cox, and her sister Audine Cantwell. Merlene graduated From Northeastern State Teachers College in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. She taught elementary school, married a young doctor and together as Methodist Church missionaries they took their three young children to Pakistan. In Pakistan and then India they added two more children to their family. A busy mother, she raised the five children in the Burien area. Merlene's next career started in 1965 when returning from a European vacation; she became a travel agent for the Holiday House Travel, specializing in European travel. She enjoyed seeing the world, taking notes wherever she went so she could add special experiences to personalize her clients' trips. Merlene enjoyed a rich life that touched so many. When grand-children came along she became 'Nona' to all and was happiest when surrounded by generations of family during gatherings at Judy and Bruce Clibborn's Mercer Island home. Another great joy in her life was her cat Koshka. Over the years, she was a member at Fauntleroy, Normandy Park, and Plymouth Congregational Churches, serving variously as Sunday School Superintendent, secretary of the Plymouth Library Committee and supporter of the Housing Fund. Merlene loved the performing arts. She was active with the Pacific Northwest Ballet Volunteer Corps for many years, enjoyed the Act Theatre, Seattle Rep, Symphony and Pops. She was influential in her children's and grandchildren's appreciation of the performing arts. She is survived by her five children, daughter Judy Clibborn and her husband Bruce, son Bruce and his wife Patrice Kettner, son Paul 'Randy' and his wife Nina Morris, son Jack and his wife Barbara, daughter Jan and her partner Dan Graham, and thirteen grandchildren Matt Rohde, Heather (James), Lisa (Tim), Andrea (David), Erica, Chad (Lindsey), Collin, Dustin, Marc (Emily), Matt Gall, Mikaela, Nicole, Sophia and Anika. She is survived by seven great grandchildren Isaiah, Lilly, Whitney, Blake, Owen, Milo and Fritz. Also surviving are her beloved nephew Larry Cantwell-Cox and niece Patty Fulbright. Merlene was also 'Mom' to many exchange students over the years as she raised her family. Eric Dorff of Germany and Ingemar Blomgren of Sweden are two who have remained family friends for over 40 years. Many thanks to Alice Nelson who was a good friend looking out for Nona and Koshka at Exeter House. The family also wishes to thank the staff of Exeter House and Evergreen Hospice. A celebration of Nona's life will be held at 2pm on Saturday May 21, 2011 at Exeter House, 720 Seneca Street, Seattle. At her request her son Jack will sing Amazing Grace and we will drink root beer floats. Nona we love you, we will miss you and we will carry your stories and spirit for generations to come. Memorials may be made to: PRCN Foundation, Exeter House Employee Education Grant Program, Attention: Ami Turcotte, Exeter House, 720 Seneca Street, Seattle, WA 98101.

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Published by The Seattle Times from May 14 to May 20, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for Merlene Ballard

5 Entries

Lindsay Ramsey

May 16, 2011

Hugs & Kisses Ballards & then more hugs. You are all in my thoughts & prayers.

Joyce Miller Muzzall

May 16, 2011

Merlene joined the Holiday House Travel Service family while I worked there in the 60s and I'll never forget her distictive laugh.

Janet Ballard

May 16, 2011

Thank you for being my Mom. God bless. God speed...

May 15, 2011

Dear Ballards,
My emotions are overflowing. To Judy, Bruce, Randy (Paul), Jack and Jan, in short: The Ballards all together!

Bruce just gave me word that our "Mom" passed into a new world, where we might have a chance to meet again. While it is a final "Auf Wiedersehen" here, there is hope, and mountains of good memories. Memories of events that accumulated over the almost 50 (!) years since the Ballards met a young German lad at SeaTac in the early sixties. Merlene, well organized and efficient, had everything arranged. I soon noticed that everybody had his own share on one of her lists.

Always thinking ahead and with a good heart she immediately made me feel at home. I felt included in a bustling family, starting with your adorable Grammy, Big Jack plus five children, plus Ingemar from Sweden, horse, and cat...what have you.

Normandy Park at the time was a humming place, Merlene being at its center with lots of social events, League of Women Voters, church field trips to Walla Walla for an extended homestay and so on. As exchange students, Ingemar and I quickly become deeply immersed into the American way of life. Furthermore, when studies at the UW got exhausting at times, "Mom" always had a place to put one's feet under a decent table, where good food and serious conversations were included.
Letters, phone calls and visits back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean kept our ties vivid. We met in Vienna and Hannover and celebrated German Christmas at my parent's house in Helmstedt. Mom, Jack (at that time still called Little-Jack) and Jan listened to real bells sounding from church towers around town, and true candles burning on the Christmas tree. We had several walks after big meals around the blocks and neighboring forests (on our own feet!!! Jackie, you remember?)

We learned from each other and enjoyed the development and careers of the growing families. We got to understand reactions of individuals from our nations involved in a large variety of situations. Merlene and the Ballards altogether promoted international understanding in the true sense of the word. They even included other of my friends from our foreign student club. e.g. addressing one of them in his mother tongue "Urdu". That really gave him a big surprise! (Big Jack and Merlene had worked in Pakistan for some time.) Our mutual ties have been a great gift for our families and Merlene has always been in the middle of all these activities.

Mom left us wonderful memories which we will keep for the rest of our lives. We see her as a model of integrity, idealistic and always open to tackle social problems. She didn´t just discuss them, instead she got her hands on it. "Mom", a 1000 thanks for all you have done for us, we keep you in our mind as a caring, lovable friend on the other side of the ocean!

Yours as always Erik+Karin Dorff
Gernot+Rudiger+Volker+Sieglinde+Giselher
+11 granddaughters (so far)

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