Ben "Benny" Ballard

Ben was born in Flippin, Arkansas on December 16th, 1940 to John and Amma Ballard and came to the Yakima valley as a young boy, with the family, in 1946. He was educated in Lower and Upper valley schools and married his sweetheart Betty Bailey, November 19th, 1960. They were married 61 years and raised four children together Richard, Julie, Beth and Becky.

Ben was a hard worker and spent many years in the orchards and warehouses of the Yakima area. He also worked for several years as custodian and bus driver for Highland School District, until he was sidelined by a serious heart condition, at age 42. He also worked as chef for the Royal Fork Buffet which was located for many years at 40th and Summitview. This, no doubt, encouraged his love for cooking, which became a lifelong passion.

There is a saying, “you can take the boy out of the farm, but you can never take the farm out of the boy” . Nothing was more true of a man, than of Ben Ballard. He loved all kinds of animals, especially the kind you could eat and whenever possible he raised chickens, pigs, cows, sheep and goats to provide the family with a never ending supply of food. He loved to buy and sell them too and could often be found at a sale, buying and/or selling what had been raised.

It also was known that Ben was a family man, his family came first in his life, right after his faith in God. He was faithful to provide for them in the best possible way and to protect them from harm, no matter from which quarter it came. He and Betty especially believed it was necessary to have a large food storage cupboard. Whether in the basement or garage, you could always find 50 pounds of potatoes, rice, and beans, along with many quarts of home canned fruits and vegetables ready for cooking for whomever might show up for supper. This was their special way of providing for their family to assure no one would ever go hungry, if he could help it. When participating in family or church gatherings, Ben’s policy was to bring enough for everyone though it was supposed to be “Pot Luck”.

You should also know that Ben was a giver to others. He was faithful to give to God a tithe of all his income, large or small. Any money that came into his possession, from wherever it came, 10 percent was set aside and given to the church as the storehouse as taught in scripture. This was a strong point of faith for both him and Betty throughout their lives.

Ben also played the guitar, and for a few years led worship in a church in Buena which was near his home. He was faithful in this calling even though he did not relish being in front of others.

Due to severe health conditions, the last two years required placement in various nursing homes in Yakima. The Covid-19 virus and state policies regarding it, kept his family away from him for the final years of his life, which was heartbreaking for everyone concerned. His final words to his daughter Julie, hours before his death were, “Jesus wants me in Heaven!”

He is survived by his loving wife Betty, four children, Richard Ballard (Cheri), Julie Beaver, Beth Hoffarth (Mike), and Rebecca Ballard, sister Sharon Parsley (Ken), including 10 Grandchildren

and 24 great grandchildren.

Preceded in death by father John H Ballard, mother Amma Ballard, siblings Peggy Towell, Sally Cook and John E Ballard.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.keithandkeith.com for the Ballard family.