Doris La Verne Balusek

LaVerne Balusek died September 29, 2017. She was born November 18, 1920 in Lampasas, Texas to Betty and Bill "June Corn" Hill. After, the stock market crash in 1929, Bill and his family relocated to Holland, a small town in central Texas, where La Verne's father had inherited some land and he began farming. He had been raised on a German family farm in that community. While living in Holland, La Verne was confirmed and became a member of St. John's Lutheran Church. She was a devout Lutheran and retained a stout belief in her faith that sustained her throughout her life. In 1938, she married Ben Balusek. Since she was from a German family and Ben was Czech, one truthfully could say that her family was less than thrilled over the marriage initially, but over time Ben overcame her family's negative resistance. Ben and LaVerne began their married life during the Depression as share croppers and that situation was not tenable because the young couple found it impossible to survivive on their farming income. Ben and LaVerne's only child William, was born in 1940 which helped exacerbate their financial woes. In 1942, Ben signed on to go to work for Henry J. Kaiser as a welder at the Swan Island Shipyard in Portland, Oregon building oil tankers for the military in the defense industry. LaVerne strenuously objected to this move because it meant moving from

Texas where her beloved family lived. She eventually relented and the young married couple and their two year old son moved to Portland. Both Ben and LaVerne went to the shipyard school, learned to weld and both of them worked at Swan Island building ships until the end of the war. When the defense industry collapsed in 1945, Ben and LaVerne moved to Dallas, Texas where they both had family and where Ben could find work. LaVerne only worked part time because she was a conscientious, devoted mother and thought it important that she raise her child. Eventually, after William started elementary school, she went to business college to learn the skills that were to help her gain the skills she needed to get good jobs. During her life she worked for several companies in the Dallas area in a variety of capacities. She was a bookkeeper, a comptometer calculator operator, a typist, a telex operator, etc. In 1963, she was hired to work for a new company that opened in Dallas, Utility Trailer Sales, where she was to remain until her retirement at 65. She began as a secretary and ended up being the executive secretary and office manager for the owner. It turned out to be the perfect fit for her. She thrived there and enjoyed her work immensely. During this period, she was active in the Miss VIP Organization, made up of a group of professional women in the business community. LaVerne loved to travel, garden, do all kinds of craft work, go to restaurants, dance and especially to go shopping for shoes and clothes. She moved to Irving, Texas in 1963 and was active in Good Shepard Lutheran church there. She loved her church family of friends and enjoyed participating in many of the activities of the ladies' groups. In 1996, she moved to Bedford, Texas. She was keenly devoted to her family and friends and found leaving north Texas painful moving to Huntsville so her son and his wife could take care of her in August, 2013. Her health had deteriorated to the point where she could no longer live in her house alone. Now, she has gone back Dallas to be buried next to her husband in close proximity to her remaining relatives and friends. LaVerne was preceded in death by her parents: Betty and Bill Hill, her husband: Ben Balusek, her siblings: Billye Salisbury, Buryle Coleman, Wayne C. Hill and two half brothers: Glen Hill and Ellis Oakley. She is survived by her son William Balusek and his wife Martha of Huntsville, Texas. She also has many loving nieces and nephews and their families living in Dallas, Ft. Worth, and central Texas. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Good Shepard Lutheran Church (2620 W. Grauwyler Rd., Irving, TX 75061), the American Heart Association or your local animal shelter in her name should you desire to do so.