Stephen Balestra

On Monday, December 19th Stephen Balestra, age 64, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife and sons. He was the beloved husband of 31 years to Patricia A. (Pompeii) Balestra and devoted father to Stefan and Michael Balestra.

Born in Providence, Stephen was the loving son of Marie (Manzo) Balestra and the late Santo Balestra. Dear brother to Maria Bessette, husband Bill, and Sandra Lorea, husband John. Adored son-in-law to Caroline E. (Coletta) Pompeii and the late John A. Pompeii Sr. and special brother-in-law to John A. Pompeii Jr. and husband Justin D. Burley. Stephen leaves behind his nieces and nephews whom he deeply loved Jennifer, Matthew, Andrew, Erin, Brianna, the late Marissa Lorea, and Nicholas. He was elated to become a great uncle to Madelyn, Vivian, Isabella, and Marko.

Stephen attended Lincoln High School where he played multiple sports excelling in all. As a highly decorated high school running back he was offered scholarships for his athleticism in football. He chose to stay close to home and played football for the University of Rhode Island. After graduating from college he attended the Providence Police Academy and began a career in law enforcement. After retiring as a detective from the Providence Police Department he worked for the Town of Lincoln.

For the past 17 years Stephen has worked as a project manager for Steckel Construction. He took great pride in building and remodeling many historic homes in Boston utilizing the trade he began learning at the early age of eight from his father. It is there where his creativity and craftsmanship shined. It is also where he continued to make many close friendships. He was a friend, father figure and mentor to many of his coworkers. He loved them like family and they loved him as well.

Stephen proudly built the home where he had lived for the past twenty two years with Patricia and their sons. His home has been the centerpiece of many wonderful memories spent together as a family as well as in entertaining countless friends and extended family. Stephen was the ultimate host. He especially enjoyed having Stefan and Michael’s friends at his home. He truly loved and cared deeply for their friends and always made them feel as though they were a part of his family whenever they visited. No one ever left hungry or without something to take home. He would do anything to make sure the boys were happy. He considered every one of the boys that came over his house one of his own, and only had two rules for them which he would humorously say, “Okay gentlemen have fun and remember, No fighting,and Don’t burn the house down”! They all loved him so much.

Stephen was an avid Colts fan since he was a child. He passed his love of the Colts onto his son Stefan, while Michael stayed true to the Patriots. This led to many heated Sunday football discussions.

Stephen’s most loyal friend was Cicero, his brother in laws’ cat whom he absolutely did not want to care for while they were away on vacation. Within two weeks they were inseparable and Cicero became a permanent part of the family.

Another passion Stephen had was his garden. With Cicero by his side, he enjoyed tending to his garden that was filled with an abundance of vegetables, and of course his many varieties of hot peppers. A truly devoted family man, he loved spending his time with his loving wife and sons. He attended every school and sporting event from preschool through college for his sons. He recorded every wrestling match, football game, track meet, vacation, and backyard party on his trusty camcorder. He was extremely proud of his son’s accomplishments throughout school and the men they came to be.

Stephen was a loyal friend. He loved his friends and would do anything for them. Once you were part of his world you were there for life. His friends were as important to him as his family. He loved them and was so grateful to have them in his life.

Stephen was a generous man who would help anyone whenever they were in need. He consistently gave to countless charities throughout his lifetime. His life exemplified the virtues of a truly selfless man who knew what was important.

Despite his illness, Stephen always remained positive and never complained no matter how ill he felt. He fought to stay with his family despite the many setbacks and obstacles that he had to overcome. We are so thankful for the care and true compassion of his doctors and team at Dana Farber. Without them we would not have had the four years of beautiful memories we were able to make and keep close to our hearts.

Stephen was a strong, brave, humble, loving, and selfless man that brought light and laughter into every room he stepped into. Although he left us much too soon, the impact he had on those who knew and loved him will last a thousand life times.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 27th from 4:00-7:00 pm and Wednesday December 28th from 11:00-12:00 pm at Pontarelli-Marino Funeral Home, 971 Branch Ave. Providence,RI. Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Wednesday, December 28th at 12:30 pm at Saint Anthony Church, 1413 Mineral Spring Ave. North Providence, RI. Entombment will be in Saints Peter & Paul Mausoleum in Saint Ann Cemetery, Cranston.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Stephen’s memory can be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

https://www.dana-farber.org/