Buck Ballou was born on Aug. 23, 1923 in Allen, Neb., to Forrest Scott Ballou and Violet Julie (Bauman) Ballou. He passed away Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in Chehalis.
Buck spent his youth in rural Nebraska until his tenth year when he and his family traveled by horse drawn wagon to Northern Idaho. He graduated from Sandpoint High School when he was 16. He left home for a civil service job with the U.S. Navy in Honolulu, Hawaii arriving in Nov. 1941. On Dec. 7, 1941 he was ending his shift in the Naval Yard at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked. He received a group citation for handling all emergencies and rescue work in a calm, cool, and outstanding manner. He was drafted by the Navy in 1943, and worked as a rigger until his discharge in 1945. He then enlisted in the Army where he served as a clerk at Fort Shafter in Hawaii until being discharged in 1947. For the next four years, Buck remained in Hawaii, working in a civil service position at the LuLuLie Radio Station. He returned to the mainland in 1951, and was employed by the Bonneville Power Administration.
Buck married Betty Lou Sindelar on Nov. 7, 1954, in Sandpoint, Idaho. The newlyweds moved to Wenatchee, Wash., where their two sons were born. Buck’s work brought the family to Olympia, Richland, and Raymond, Wash., before they settled in Chehalis in 1962. He graduated from the Line Apprentice Program at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash., in 1961 and worked as a journeyman lineman for BPA until his retirement in 1979. Following his retirement, Buck and Betty enjoyed spending their winters in Mesa, Ariz.
Buck was a member of the American Legion, Eagles, Masonic Lodge, and St. John’s Lutheran Church. Buck also enjoyed many hobbies including bowling, golfing, fishing, gardening, winemaking, and playing cards with his family and friends. A lifelong sports fan, Buck coached youth baseball, rooted for the Seahawks, Mariners and Bearcats, and stayed in shape working out at Thorbeckes.
Buck will be greatly missed by his sons, Scott (Janine), and Doug (Cynthia), his granddaughters, Cassandra, Renee, and Madeline, and his surviving siblings, brother, Wallace and sister, Elaine Clark, both of Sandpoint, Idaho, sister, Gloria Cozort of Colburn, Idaho. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Joseph, sisters, Belva Hanson, Vivran Balison, Cleo Brockus, and Mary Lou Naccarato, and his beloved wife, Betty. All those who knew and loved Buck are invited to celebrate his life at a memorial service beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 20, 2012 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Chehalis, officiated by Reverend D. Randall Faro.
Memorial donation in honor of Buck may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church Memorial Fund or to the Greater Chehalis Food Bank, 1914 S. Market Blvd., Chehalis, WA 98532.
