John Anthony Ballagh

John Anthony Ballagh, 72, passed away peacefully on August 3, 2024 surrounded by his adoring family.

John was born to Hamilton Craig and Doris Antoinette (Albrittain) on July 12, 1952 in Lynchburg, VA. Growing up in Lynchburg, John developed a love of sports, the outdoors, and enjoyed playing legendary pranks on his siblings and neighbors. He attended the Holy Cross Regional Catholic School where he excelled in basketball, baseball, and soccer. He fostered his natural curiosity and aptitude for math, mechanics, and problem solving that would serve him well the rest of his life. He attended college at Virginia Tech where he met his beloved wife, Susan Jane Pinkerton.

After graduating from Virginia Tech in the Spring of 1974 with a BS in Electrical Engineering, John and Susan were married a few months later. They followed his career in the telecom industry to multiple cities before settling for good in Leesburg, VA in 1976. There they welcomed four children: Jonathan (1977), Erik (1979), Benjamin (1983), and Jordan (1989). John's career as an Electrical Engineer spanned almost five decades and culminated with him having the opportunity to work with all of his children at a family-owned company before retiring at the age of 67. His hard work ethic, dedication, and expertise earned him the respect of his co-workers and set an example for his children on how to do a job the right way.

Retirement allowed John to focus on what he loved most - his family. He would drop anything to help anyone, and did so until the very end. He was a devout Catholic who never missed a Sunday Mass, even famously walking miles in a blizzard to attend. John loved playing cards, board games, telling Dad jokes, going out to dinner and a movie, as well as coaching and playing sports. Most importantly, his favorite thing on Earth was spending time with his grandchildren who loved him dearly.

John is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Craig and Michael, and his brother-in-law Tom. He leaves behind his wife of 50 years to the day, Susan; his four children, Jonathan (Lisa) Ballagh, Erik (Jessica) Ballagh, Benjamin (Laura Kathryn) Ballagh; Jordan (Calvin) Ballagh; his eight grandchildren, Dylan, Connor, Carter, Reese, Finn, Jacob, Cole, and Owen; his sisters Karen Downey and Mary Jean (Bob) Hockman; his brother James (Barbara) Ballagh; and countless nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

Somewhere up above, John/Dad/Granddad is sitting on a couch watching a movie with an ice-cold Coke in hand after a late-night spent mowing his field. He will be missed more than he would ever know.

A visitation will be held in his honor on Monday, August 12 at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Leesburg at 1:00 pm with his funeral directly following at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Association on American Indian Affairs (indian-affairs.org), or by simply planting a tree in his honor.

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