Elmer Howard Ballard, age 94, of Sherwood, Oregon passed away peacefully at home with family present on January 11th, 2019. His last 3 ½ years were spent at the Marquis Assisted Living Facility in Tualatin.
He was born in Portland, Oregon on February 21, 1924. Elmer graduated from Sherwood High School where he enjoyed playing football. He was married to Isla Cross on March 31st, 1944. He started out as a logger on the Oregon Coast, but later purchased a service station business and then an auto parts store in Tigard with his brother, Melvin “Buck” Ballard.
He joined the Marine Corps in 1941 and served in WWII on Wallis Island in the South Pacific. Through the years, he was a member and involved with the American Legion, Post 54, The Masonic Lodge, and the Volunteer Fire Department in Tigard.
He had a passion for the Portland Trailblazers and his apartment was full of Trailblazer memorabilia. His only wish for his 94th birthday was to meet Damian Lillard and his wish was granted by the staff at Marquis. In November of 2017, he met Damian and was honored as the Trailblazer Hometown Hero on the same night. He was also sponsored by the Marquis Foundation to take a weeklong trip to Washington DC to see the WWII monuments in November of 2015. He loved to fish, hunt, and square dance (back in the day).
He was survived by his son, Steven Ballard; his three daughters, Margot Glover, Marilyn Bedell and Wendy Ballard-Turner; his seven grandchildren, Jeff and Jason Glover, Matt Appleton, Lisa Ballard, Jordan Mills, and Hailee Ring; his seven great-grandchildren, Adam and Micah Appleton, Emily Brenner, Andrew and RJ Ring, Cierra and Isla Mills.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Isla Cross Ballard, his brothers Buck and Don Ballard, his grandson, Travis Appleton, and his granddaughter, Nicole Turner.
A celebration of life service will be held on January 23rd, at 3:30pm at Young’s Funeral Home in Tigard.
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