Peter Albert Balbach

June 24, 1935 - September 19, 2024

West Columbia, South Carolina - A resident of South Carolina for more than thirty years, Peter Albert Balbach died September 19, 2024, at the age of 89, following several years of diminishing health. The son of Louis and Alice Balbach, "Pete", as he preferred to be called, was born June 24, 1935, in Newark, New Jersey and spent his formative years in Rumson, New Jersey. In his youth, Mr. Balbach spent countless hours with his friends on the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers, chasing each other in Jon boats and later at the Monmouth Beach Club chasing pretty girls.

Mr. Balbach graduated from The Lawrenceville School where he made lifelong friendships that continued through the years at Yale University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Administration from Yale in 1957. Employed by Bethlehem Steel, he worked at the Sparrows Point Rod and Wire Mill and later moved to sales, transferring to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1976, Mr. Balbach, wanting to be his own boss, established New Ken Steel, a steel fabrication company that he directed successfully until 1988, when he took partial retirement upon moving to South Carolina. He eventually sold the business in 1993 so he could spend more time with his family on Lake Murray and the coast of South Carolina.

From his early days, Mr. Balbach enjoyed the outdoors and was noted especially for his love of fishing. His freezer was filled with fresh mahi mahi, tuna, grouper and flounder. He was proud of a 20 lb. prize Striped Bass catch from Lake Murray. Following retirement, his days were filled with more fishing, boating and even kayaking, singing in his various church choirs, and volunteering with Meals on Wheels. Knowing what was good for him, he became an avid Duke University basketball fan and was known for spontaneously bursting into "Somewhere over the Rainbow" whenever the mood struck him. His interest in travel led to trips West including Arizona, California, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. He also snorkeled in Hawaii, which he hated because the water was cold. In his later years, he escaped the heat of Columbia by spending a good portion of the summer in Maine, where he enjoyed his visiting family along with his love of outdoor activities and "lobstah." His Alzheimer's disease changed many plans, but he maintained both his sweet disposition and his sweet tooth. At his death, he was a member of St. Martin's in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Columbia.

He is survived by his wife Mary Wyatt Balbach; sons John Balbach and Stephen Balbach; stepchildren Laura Beckmann (Steve), Walter Penrose, Jr., and Andrew Choate; grandchildren Cyrus and Ayla Balbach; and step-grandchildren Matthew Beckmann and Andrew Beckmann (Julia Mizutani). Mr. Balbach was preceded in death by his parents and his second wife Joy Jones Balbach. Over the course of his life, he also lost his much beloved "four-legged" friends-Gretchen, Heidi, Astro, Nanu, and Inky.

Memorial services for Mr. Balbach will be held on September 28, 2024, at 11:00 AM at St. Martin's in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, 5220 Clemson Avenue, Columbia, SC with a reception immediately following.

Memorials for Mr. Balbach may be made to The Lawrenceville School, 2500 Main Street, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648 or The Nature Conservancy, South Carolina Chapter, 1417 Stuart Engals Boulevard, Suite 100, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464. The family would like to thank the staff for the care provided at Ellis Crossing, Carroll Campbell Place.

Memories and condolences may be shared at ShivesFuneralHome.com.