Edward Ballengee

1936 - 2023

Our dear Dad, Edward Ballengee, went to join our beautiful mother, Mary Ballengee, on Sept. 2, 2023, at the family ranch in Pine Canyon. Mary recently passed away on Aug. 13 - they deeply loved each other! Edward Louis Ballengee was born and raised in Taft, Calif., where he became an excellent trombonist, and felt the call to pursue a career in dentistry. He attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., where he met and fell in love with Mary as they performed the lead opposite each other in the romantic musical," South Pacific", and they were married in 1957.
They lived a busy and wonderful life together for 66 years. After Ed completed dental school in San Francisco, he served two years in the Army Dental Corps at Fort Ord. When stationed at Fort Hunter Liggett, Ed fell in love with the King City area and moved to King City in 1963 to practice for 57 years alongside Moylen Peterson, DDS. In 1965, they bought the ranch and moved to Pine Canyon.
Ed excelled as a dentist and passionately loved his profession and his patients! He provided such pain-free, high-standard dentistry, and compassionate, patient care that he acquired a myriad of happy, loyal patients over the years. He was famous for humming as he worked, said that God ran his dental practice, and was always praying throughout his dental procedure.
Dad and mom also had a great passion for music and singing. Dad served as choir director for the Community Baptist Church for 20 years and often directed Handel's Messiah. Ed and Mary sang with the Camerata Singers for 26 years, the Carmel Bach Festival for six years, and I Cantori de Carmel as well. Mary and Ed have fond memories of participating in two European singing tours. Dad especially loved to sing the "Lord's Prayer" at funerals of friends and patients who asked him (often marking the promise on the dental record so he wouldn't forget).
Ed and Mary were constantly contributing to the local community in so many areas. Ed was the president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1969. I think he has served as president of almost every organization in town. He served on the King City elementary school board from 1976 to 1979. He was president of the KCHS Mustang Bench in 1979 to 1980. He also was a Rotary member for 60 years -serving as president from 1979 to 1980. For his rotary service, he received the Paul Harris fellow award seven times and in 2022, was awarded the Ruby Harris fellow award -highest attainable. He was the "Citizen of the Year" in 1979, and "Father of the Year "as well.
With the establishing president, Janette Hall Harkness, Ed and Mary worked tirelessly to preserve the Stanton Theater at King City High School, helping her to establish the SoMoCo Center for the Performing Arts and serving also as president.
Ed and Mary greatly enjoyed ranch and family life, especially enjoying time with their daughters and grandkids: hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and waterskiing at San Antonio Lake and attending their activities. A frequent highlight was the family vacations on horseback with pack mules in the backcountry of the Los Padres National Forest often accompanied by Charles Harriman. In the backcountry, Ed and Mary even packed fingerling trout on mules to plant in streams and often did trail work when needed.
Ed and Mary were truly champions of public service -always looking for an opportunity to help out- and were loving and generous as parents and grandparents. They were inseparable to the end.
Ed is survived by one sister, Vonda Brown, and her husband Bill; two daughters: Paulette, and her husband, Jim Scoville, and Mimi and her husband, John Black; nine grandsons; and 10 great-grandchildren, with three more on the way.
Ed and Mary were beloved to many as kind, generous, and sacrificial contributors to the King City area. They will be greatly missed by all of us!!
A Visitation will be held on Friday, Sept. 22, from 5-8 p.m. at Eddington Funeral Service Chapel.
A Funeral Service, open to the public, is planned for Ed at 10 a.m on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at Eddington Funeral Services Chapel. Private, family only burial will follow.
Please join the family at the St. John's Catholic Church Hall for a luncheon following.
For more information, please contact Eddington Funeral Services, (831) 385-5400, www.EFS-Cares.com.