Dr. Benjamin R. Balin

Benjamin Balin Obituary

BALIN
DR. BENJAMIN R. BALIN, March 4, 2008 of Boca Raton, FL. (formerly Wallingford, PA). Husband of the late Sally (nee Kirsner). Father of Kenneth P. (Betsy S.) Balin, Dr. Arthur K. (Loretta) Balin and Dr. Nancy A. (Alan Sharpe) Balin. Brother of Isabelle (Sidney) Gold, the late Dr. Victoria Balin, the late Dr. Solomon Balin, the late Dr. Joseph Balin, the late Dr. Robert Balin and the late Anne Rudolph Grandfather of Steven, Samuel, Jacqueline, Allison and Benjamin Balin and Benjamin and Sara Rose Sharpe. Relatives and friends are invited to Services Sunday March 9, 2008, 2:15 P.M. at Congregation Ohev Shalom, 2 Chester Rd., Wallingford, PA 19086. Interment Ohev Shalom Cemetery. The family will return to the residence of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Balin, and respectfully request that contributions in his memory be made to the Balin Chapel Fund at Ohev Shalom Synagogue or the charity of the donor's choice.
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Published by Philadelphia Inquirer/Philadelphia Daily News from Mar. 7 to Mar. 9, 2008.

Memories and Condolences
for Benjamin Balin

Sponsored by the Sally Balin Medical Center.

14 Entries

Joel Feldman

April 2, 2008

I remember Ben as a kind and gentle man; he was so active and interested in life for an "old guy" when I met him in 1972-he was roughly my age now-53--he would stand in front of the mirror and practice his form over and over, whether it was tennis-backhand or bending his knees for skiing the bumps-that is when he wasn't practicing guitar or dancing--when we were skiing he would listen to pointers and really tried hard to do everything he was told.
he was so kind to me with skiing trips, sailing trips--I even remember he overuled Sally and let me fish for bluefish off the back of the sailboat and clean the fish--only in the dinghy of course--before we ate it.
He also had a great sense of humor cracking jokes--some were pretty corny but I always was entertained. Having lost my mother and father recently and watching his decline I know what it is like- no matter how old or ill we only have 1 set of parents and after they are gone we keep remembering and discovering more and more about them and ourselves and have fond memories , gratitude for what they gave us and smiles as we think of them-I know it will be that way for Ben's family.

My best to Nancy, Ken and Arthur .

Tina Gravel

March 17, 2008

Dr. Nancy Balin,
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your Dad. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Bob Goldberg

March 12, 2008

We are very sad at the passing of Ben Balin. He was like a second father to me. May his passing be a blessing.

Marci and Lucille Peller

March 12, 2008

We are so sorry to hear of Ben's passing. Mac always spoke so highly of both Ben and Sally. Our hearts go out the the entire Balin Family.
Lucille and Marci Peller
Chester Optical Co.

Chris West

March 11, 2008

I remember Dr. Benjamin Balin as a gentleman and a gentle man. He had a kind word for all of his and his son's office staff. He once hired my son Danny who was 14 years old to help move Arthur into his home off of Chester Road. My son tells the story that he helped move about 800 bookcases into Dr. Balin's house, and Ben was his partner that day. He was extremly nice to him, telling him he did a great job. He also slipped Dan an extra $20.00 and said "don't tell anyone about the bonus".

Dorothy McLaughlin

March 9, 2008

Dr. Ben Balin was a kind and gentle man and he was admired and loved by everyone who knew him. I am privileged to have known him and he will be missed very much.

JoAnn Donato

March 8, 2008

I had the pleasure of working for Dr. Ben Balin in the late '60s and early '70s when he had his weight loss practice. I have such fond memories of Dr. Balin (and Sally). He was such a kind and gentle man and his patients adored him. Even though I have not been in touch for a long time, I will always remember him.

Ruth B. & Murray J. Seidelman

March 8, 2008

Fond memories of the Balin's being one of the first couples welcoming us into the Wallingford community and inviting us to their home for one of their many evenings of entertainment.

Benjamin R Balin, MD

Sally Balin Medical Center

March 8, 2008

Dr. Benjamin R. Balin was born in Philadelphia on December 3, 1916, the son of Samuel and Rose (Levis) Balin. He was one of seven children, six of whom became medical practitioners. His three brothers became physicians and two of his three sisters became podiatrists. His eldest sister was a school teacher. He grew up on Second Street north of Girard Avenue where his father had a ladies clothing store. Later the family moved to the 300 block of South Street, where they lived over the store.
Ben graduated from St Joseph’s College with a B.S. and went on to Jefferson Medical College where he graduated in January 1944 as a 1st Lieutenant M.C.O.R.C and was subsequently promoted to Captain. He was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas as the World War II ended. In San Antonio he met Sally Kirsner, daughter of an Army Colonel (who had been quartermaster in Philadelphia in the 1920’s and went to Philadelphia Textile). Sally had been born in Philadelphia – but traveled around the country as an army brat. They were married in 1947.
After the wedding, the Balin’s moved to Chester and bought a home in Eddystone on the 1200 block of Saville Ave. Ben set up a general medical practice in Chester at 9th and Barclay. He affiliated with both Chester Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospitals in Chester. During the course of his 50 years practicing medicine in Chester he remained affiliated with Chester Hospital and then Crozer –Chester. His office relocated to 9th and Kerlin in Chester and later to 22nd and Providence. That building was donated to Widener University, after he retired and is named Balin Hall. Widener was important to the Balin’s over the years and both Ben and Sally Balin ran many events for the University – helping too raise money for the University’s wonderful programs.
His early practice as a general practitioner included many house calls and the delivery of many baby boomers. Many of those delivered are now patients of his son Arthur, a dermatologist in Media, practicing in The Sally K. Balin Medical Center (named for Ben’s wife Sally). In the late 50’s an increased number of his patients required weight management and he began research and development on dietary programs to help his patients lose and maintain lower weight and a healthier lifestyle. In 1959 he was trained in medical hypnosis by the Milton Erickson MD School to enhance his ability to treat his patients. In the early 1960’s he developed a low carbohydrate, high protein diet for weight reduction which he continued to refine and used successfully for 10’s of thousands of patients until he retired. In 1994, he received the Pennsylvania Medical Society Recognition Award for 50 years of Medical Practice in the State of Pennsylvania.
Ben Balin was an active member of Ohev Shalom Synagogue (initially in Chester) and served on its Board of Directors. In 1957 along with other donors, he presented the congregation with a gift of 31/2 acres in Wallingford for a new building, ending a debate on where the congregation would move. He was a Vice Chairman of the Building Campaign and was Chair of the Building Dedication Weekend in 1965 when it was formally dedicated.
Ben was a member of Brandywine Country Club in Wilmington Delaware where he played golf and tennis. Later he was a member of Radnor Country Club and in Florida; he was a member of Boca Lago Country Club. He was a member of the Chester YMCA where as a young man he was an active handball player. An avid and active athlete, he learned to ski when he was 40 and actively skied in Vail Colorado and Utah until he was 80 years old. He won many golf tournaments and enjoyed good competition. He was an active sailor, having bought his first boat a Cheoy Lee Offshore 40 Yawl named the “Sally B” when he was 50. His second sailboat was a Gulfstar 50 Sloop named “Slender Lady” (for his medical practice specialty). His other interests included bridge, ballroom dancing, and classical guitar.
Ben’s philosophy was to enjoy life everyday. He taught his patients to live a healthy life by keeping fit and eating a healthy diet, and he lived by this as well. He was loved and respected by his patients and colleagues.
He loved spending time with his family. He enjoyed traveling, sailing and skiing with his children and grandchildren. He loved to spend time with his grandchildren sharing his passion for sports and music. He was always ready to listen and give helpful advice.
He was a kind and gentle man, and a wonderful husband, father and grandfather.
Dr. Balin is survived by his sons, Dr. .Arthur Balin and his wife Dr. Loretta, of Thorton, PA, Kenneth Balin and his wife Betsy, of Philadelphia, PA, and his daughter, Dr. Nancy Balin and her husband Alan Sharpe, of Northampton, MA, seven grandchildren, Samuel, Allison, Benjamin, Steven and Jacqueline Balin, and Benjamin and Sara Sharpe, a sister Isabelle Gold. He was predeceased by his wife Sally (Kirsner), three brothers Drs. Joseph, Solomon, and Robert, and two sisters, Anne Rudolph and Dr.Victoria Balin.

GREGORY STRATOTI

March 8, 2008

I WAS SO SAD TO HEAR OF BEN'S PASSING. I HAVE SOME WONDERFUL MEMORIES SPENDING TIME WITH BEN AND SALLY IN BOCA PLAYING GOLF AND TENNIS WITH BEN. HE WAS A WONDERFUL, GENEROUS MAN WHO ENJOYED LIFE, HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THIS IS A PERSONAL LOSS FOR ALL OF US.

Arthur Balin, MD, PhD

March 8, 2008

Dr. Benjamin R. Balin, 91,
Former Chester Physician
Dr. Benjamin R. Balin, 91, of Boca Raton, Fla., a former Chester physician and weight management pioneer, died March 4 in Boca Raton.
Born in Philadelphia, Dr. Balin was a resident of Chester, Eddystone, Nether Providence and West Chester before moving to Florida. He was a graduate of St. Joseph’s College, now university, in Philadelphia and was a 1944 graduate of Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. In 1959 he studied medical hypnosis at the Milton Erickson MD School to help in the treatment of weight loss patients. For almost 50 years Dr. Balin practiced medicine in Chester, first at 9th and Barclay streets, then at 9th and Kerlin streets and finally in a building now known as Balin Hall at 22nd Street and Providence Avenue which he later donated to Widener University. Dr. Balin had been affiliated with Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland and, previously, with the old Chester Hospital and Sacred Heart Medical Center in Chester.
Initially a general practitioner, Dr. Balin made house calls and delivered many Delaware County Baby Boomers. Several are now the patients of his son, Dr. Arthur Balin, who, with his wife, Dr. Loretta Pratt, has a dermatology practice in Nether Providence in the Sally K. Balin Medical Center, named for the senior Dr. Balin’s late wife. In the late 1950s Dr. Balin established a weight management practice, eventually developing a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet for weight loss used by tens of thousands of patients. He was known as a proponent of fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Dr. Balin received the Pennsylvania Medical Society Recognition Award in 1994 for 50 years of practicing medicine in Pennsylvania.
An Army veteran, Dr. Balin was a first lieutenant stationed at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas at the end of World War II. He joined Congregation Ohev Shalom when it was in Chester and had served on its board of directors. In 1957 Dr. Balin was among donors who presented the congregation with three-and-a-half acres of land in Nether Providence where the synagogue now stands. He was vice president of the Ohev Shalom building campaign and, in 1965, was chairman of the building dedication weekend. A chapel at the synagogue is named in honor of him and his wife for their work on behalf of the synagogue’s building fund. Dr. Balin and his wife were also fundraisers for Widener University where they ran many events. They were considered suburban pioneers in 1955 when they built a house designed by Louis and Henry Magaziner on the outskirts of Chester in Nether Providence where they lived for more than 30 years.
An avid athlete, Dr. Balin learned to ski at age 40 and continued until age 80 in Vail, Col. and in Utah. He also played golf, tennis and, as a young man, handball. Dr. Balin won many golf tournaments. He was a member of the Boca Lago Country Club in Florida, the Radnor Country Club, and the Brandywine Country Club in Wilmington, Del. and a former member of the Chester YMCA. At age 50 Dr. Balin bought his first sailboat, a Cheoy Lee Offshore 40 Yawl he named “Sally B” after his wife. He dubbed his second sailboat, a Gulfstar 50 Sloop, “Slender Lady” in honor of his medical specialty. Dr. Balin also enjoyed ballroom dancing, bridge, classical guitar and spending time with his family. He especially enjoyed sharing his enthusiasm for sports and music with his grandchildren.
Dr. Balin was devoted to his family. In 1947 he married Sally Kirsner Balin who died in 1997. Dr. Balin was the son of the late Samuel and Rose Levis Balin. He was the brother of the late Anne Rudolph, Dr. Victoria Balin, Dr. Joseph Balin, Dr. Solomon Balin and Dr. Robert Balin.
Survivors: Sons, Dr. Arthur Balin of the Thornton section of Thornbury Township, Kenneth Balin of Philadelphia; daughter, Dr. Nancy Balin of Northampton, Mass.; sister, Isabelle Gold; seven grandchildren.
Service: 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Congregation Ohev Shalom, 2 Chester Road, Nether Providence.
Burial: Ohev Shalom Cemetery.
Contributions: Balin Chapel Fund, Congregation Ohev Shalom, 2 Chester Road, Wallingford, PA 19086
Arrangements: Joseph H. Levine & Sons Memorial Chapel, Marple.

Charles Campbell

March 7, 2008

My sympathy on the loss of your loved one.It was my good fortune to know him and play handball with him at Wiedner in the 70's and 80's. He taught many of us how to compete as he was one of the best. He loved his family and medicine, and was so proud of his children in medical school. He always brought pretzels to pass around at handball, lunch I suppose. Fondly remembered.
Charlie Campbell
Campbell Printing

Elaine Porter

March 7, 2008

My condolences to the Balin Family. When I was a small child both Dr. Balin and his brother were our doctors in Philadelphia. My Mother (Margaret Porter - passed away Jan 2007) was friends with their sister, Isabelle. I am sorry for your loss.

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