Cover photo for Richard R. Balsavich's Obituary
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1930 Richard 2011

Richard R. Balsavich

January 18, 1930 — December 28, 2011

Richard R. Balsavich, 81 of Grants Pass, died Wednesday, December 28, 2011, after three weeks of hospice care at his daughter’s home.



A Visitation Vigil will be held Monday, January 2, 2012, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hull & Hull Mortuary. A Funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, January 3, at 12:30 p.m. at Saint Anne Catholic Church followed by a graveside Committal with Military Honors at Hawthorn Memorial Gardens. Reception immediately following at Saint Anne’s Kelly Youth Center. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.since1928hull.com.



Richard was born January 18, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph and Helen (Baltrukonas) Balsavich. He graduated in 1948 from Argo High School in Summit, Illinois, and served his country during the Korean era in the United States Air Force. He was stationed at Kirkland Air Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, working for Strategic Air Command (SAC) and witnessed an above-ground atomic explosion as part of Operation Buster-Jangle in Indian Springs, Nevada, November, 1951. On April 25, 1953, he married Irene B. Chize, who died June 13, 1971, leaving behind their thirteen-year-old daughter whom he raised the rest of the way.



After attending Coyne Electrical School, he enjoyed his work as an electrical technician troubleshooting large industrial equipment & doing millwright work. He and two partners started Motorcraft Electric Company in the 1960’s in Chicago. After his wife’s death, he and his daughter moved to Huntington Beach, California, where he continued work in the electrical field. He was plant superintendent at Larson and Hogue Electric in LA. His second wife, Esther Gonsalves, owned a dairy where he also milked cows for five years in Winchester, California. He retired from electrical troubleshooting in 1992 moving to Grants Pass in 1995 to watch his grandson grow up.



Richard had a deep love for God and his family. He was a member of Saint Anne Catholic Church and was a third degree Knight of Columbus. He enjoyed problem-solving and had a life-long passion for learning that was infectious. He generously passed on what he’d learned with all those around him. He was a storyteller by heart and loved sharing stories and lessons from his life with others. He was proud of his Lithuanian heritage and his country. When he was seventeen-years-old he drove his family from Chicago to San Diego and back on Route 66 which began his life-long fondness for driving. Richard travelled to every State in the continental U.S. He enjoyed long touring rides on his Honda Goldwing motorcycle and driving the back roads of Southern Oregon. He enjoyed the outdoors, especially being in the mountains and seeing eagles in flight, which he called God’s church.



In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents, older brother Robert Balsavich of Isabella, Missouri, and younger sister, Arlene Puchalski of Fountain Valley, California. He is survived by his daughter Cindy Suda and her husband Norm of Grants Pass, his grandson Brian Suda and his wife Emily of Lacey, WA, and a host of beloved family and friends.

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