Kenneth Ballard was born December 8, 1934 to Willie Lamar and Della Mae Ballard. He was the apple of their eye. He was a son, husband, father, brother-in-law, uncle, grand, great grand, great great grand father, friend, and a coach.
He was what ever you needed him to be.
A hero- my hero- and others.
The love of his life and mother to his children,
Barbara Ballard, his children, grand children, great grand children and great great grandchildren. He may not have seen you everyday but you were always in his thoughts and memories. He was always close and wanted to be at every game you played, every event. he couldn't do it all but he tried.
he loved sitting outside, the garden, walking in the woods (even if he got turned around and lost), fishing as long as he got to spend time with you! He was a simple man, a man with few needs. His only wants were to be what everyone else needed of him that made him the happiest.
He wanted everyone happy, safe, and healthy.
I was reminded of the time he was Walco kid, always on the CB or coaching baseball, or working at Avondale to provide for his family, or taking his daughter to girls scouts.
He never sweated the big stuff, it was the little things that mattered to him, and his garden, his friends, and family.
The last couple of years I got to spend day in and day out with him sitting on the swing or in the garden cutting grass. He always talked about his family and friends, relived his teenage years (That was a little embarrassing), his clubbing days with his wife, the great things his kids have done. (He was proud of his children).
He was proud of his life, he had no regrets; it's not what you have, it's what you make of it.
He always wanted to be a part of day to day things; taking the trash down or just getting the mail. He told us the last thing he could do for us was getting his marker and getting it down so his family didn't have to. We talked about all the trips to Florida, with the kids or the times he (taught the boys to ask women at red lights if they wanted to go the Florida, LOL) or trips fishing or every time you ride by the prison to blow the horn so someone thought it was for them that couldn't see their family, or the time his pipe got packed or a great pitch or homerun, or the time you took him fishing or hunting, or just the special times he got to run away with his wife to the mountains or to Mississippi, everything was about his family.
I learned so much about life from my father, and the person he wanted us to be. To love each other because tomorrow is not promised but make today matter, make your words and actions count, let the people around you know you love them, and be there for people in your life.
