William Franklin Ballentine

William "Bill" Franklin Ballentine was born in Portsmouth, VA on January 25th, 1942 to Bessie and Charles Ballentine. He was the youngest of four brothers, Kenneth, James and Charles. From a young age he was always intelligent and able to figure out equations and puzzles with ease. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Portsmouth, VA. He then graduated from Virginia Military Institute and served as a Lieutenant in the Army from 1963-1966. His intelligence served him well, as he then received his Masters in Electrical Engineering and eventually worked for NASA and Digital as an Aeronautical Engineer. He lived in Manhattan and worked on Wall Street for a time, where he had two children, Randy and Pamela. In 1981 he married his second wife, Joey Todd, after meeting her on vacation in Hawaii. They had their daughter Jordyn in 1985 after settling down in Redmond, WA. He was also a talented abstract artist who would paint in the garage in his spare time. He would pass on his artistic ability and passion to his daughter Jordyn.
William was a complicated man. He was quiet and a bit challenging to get to know, but his incredible mind and artistic ability spoke for itself. You could always find him reading a book, which he found interesting than making small talk. He loved dogs, especially Brittany Spaniels, Bob Dylan, Sailing and History. He had a sarcastic and silly sense of humor and did his best as a husband, father, and man. This world is a little less interesting without him. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Joey Ballentine, daughters Jordyn and Pamela, and son Randy Ballentine. He had five grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.
I don't only cry for the you I knew
I cry for the you I didn't know
I don't only grieve for the time we lost
But for the time we never had
I cry for the memories we shared, but also for the ones we never made.
I miss the man you were, but also the man I never met.
I mourn because I chose anger over understanding.
Bitterness instead of forgiveness.
I thought there would be enough time to make it right.
I cry because I lost you,
But I also smile because I knew you, and I know you are finally at peace.
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