Stanley Baluk

Stanley Baluk was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Stanley was born on December 16, 1924 at at home in Chicago, Illinois in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Mary Strzp and Luke Baluk. Stanley was raised in Chicago, Illinois. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Baluk household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Stanley was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Stanley was raised with 6. He had 6 siblings; Alex, Frank, Stephen, Anne, Mary Stastny and Helen. Stanley was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Stanley and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Stanley was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Stanley was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Stanley developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Stanley took part in baseball. In his spare time he liked playing baseball. However, what Stanley enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Stanley as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Harrison High in 1947. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Stanley was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Stanley always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Stanley was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Stanley was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Stanley to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. Later in life, he became friends with Alyce and Augie Vuntech, Pat and John Strock and Betty and Vic Mikenas.

On April 28, 1951 Stanley exchanged wedding vows with Georgette Fiala or "Sugar" as Stanley called her. At the Blessed Sacrament Church of Chicago, Illinois. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment.

Stanley brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Stanley was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Stanley was blessed with 3 girls, Nancy, Susan and Janet. They were also blessed with 4, Christopher, Will, Lita and Jim.

Stanley greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Stanley enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Stanley was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was a carpenter. He was employed for over 30 years as a carpenter and belonged to Carpenters union for over 50 years. Stanley worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Stanley was an Army veteran; April 1943-January 1946. He was in the 98th airdrone SQDN, in China, India, and Burma. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of CPL. He received praise for his valor, including being awarded 4 overseas service bars, asiatic pacific theater ribbon with bronze battle stars, good conduct medal, distinguished unit badge, meritorial unit award, China memorial victory. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Stanley seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Stanley liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Stanley always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were builing-construction. Stanley was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Stanley found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Stanley played baseball. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. He loved watching all sports, especially his grandchildren in baseball, basketball, football and soccer.

Many organizations were grateful to have Stanley as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Stanley was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Throughout his later years, Stanley was an active member of the American legion, Moose club and the Lisle Heritage Society.

Stanley was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of St. Joan. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Stanley enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Stanley appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Stanley always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included fishing in Wisconsin and visiting his daughter and son in law in Flordia.

Stanley was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Stanley’s favorites was Texas (Heinz 51) and Crystal (Collie).

When Stanley’s retirement finally arrived in 1989, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in building and adding on to daughter's and son in law's houses. He also enjoyed going to watch grandchildren play baseball, basketball, soccer and football. Even in retirement, Stanley continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Stanley Baluk passed away on January 6, 2012 at at his home in Lisle, Illinois. He died of congested heart failure. Stanley was laid to rest in Chapel Hill Gardens West in Oakbrook Terrace.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Stanley Baluk. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.