Dr. Margaret Jane Hitzeman Ball

Margaret Jane Hitzeman Ball, M.D. Dr. Margaret Jane Ball, M.D., beloved wife of the late Dr. J. Robert Ball, M.D. for 60 years, passed away in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Tuesday, December 4, 2012. She was born in Fort Wayne on May 5, 1923, and was the daughter of the late Alvin Frederic and Paula Ida Hitzeman. Dr. Ball graduated from Fort Wayne North Side High School, where she was a majorette in the band and a member of the National Honor Society. She received her Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Indiana University and her Doctor of Medicine from the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Ball was offered a surgical residency at Jacksonville Memorial Hospital in Florida, but chose instead to return to Fort Wayne to specialize in Pathology and Transfusion Services and be the best wife and mother in the world. She was the Medical Director of the Allen County Chapter of the American Red Cross Blood Center for 27 years. She was a pioneer in establishing plasmapheresis, skin and tissue banking at the Center, for which she received national recognition. She was active in many Fort Wayne charities including the local Tri Kappa Chapter, Fort Wayne Charity Horse Shows, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Fort Wayne Ballet and the Miss Fort Wayne pageant. She was a member of Trinity English Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Fort Wayne Medical Society. She was a great lover of animals and a basketball fan. Surviving are her children, Susan Ball-Allsop (Douglas), J. Robert Ball, II (Stephanie), Nancy Ball-Blake (David), and eight grandchildren. She is also survived by dear family friend and caretaker, Mary Hostetler. The family would like to extend thanks to Dr. Herbert Acker, M.D., our family physician, for his compassionate care of our mother, to the wonderful staffs at St. Joseph Hospital and Coventry Meadows, and especially to the incredible caregivers at the Homestead Hospice. The family will greet friends for a service at Klaehn, Fahl, Melton Funeral Home, 420 West Wayne Street, Fort Wayne, IN, at 11:00 am on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012. Dr. Ball will be privately laid to rest next to her husband in Lindenwood Cemetery. Memorial flowers are appreciated, other memorials may be made in Dr. Ball’s name to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home or Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. www.klaehnfahlmelton.com