James Gilmore Balmer

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Died peacefully December 13th with family at his side. Born July 29, 1922, he was the son of James G. Balmer, Sr. and Grace Cuddy Balmer of Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) with a BA in industrial design. He served proudly in the Army Air Corps in the Philippines and Japan during WWII. On August 12, 1950 he married Helen Harris Howick, who survives him after 62 years of marriage. Following military service, he worked as a lead designer for

automotive icon Harley Earl at General Motors. In the mid-1950's he co-founded Armstrong Balmer & Associates, an internationally-recognized industrial design firm in Michigan. Among his many accomplishments, he had numerous design patents, including the 1959 original design of the Xerox 914, the first plain paper copier in the world. He was the recipient of a

number of professional awards, but he considered his family his greatest accomplishment.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children Janet Quiring (John), James Balmer III (Martha) and Lindsay Hinz (Randy); beloved grandchildren Carrie, Alison, Adam, Nick, Gretchen, Grace, Benjamin, Clara, Mallory and Jamie; and ten great-grandchildren. He instilled in his children a creative spirit and an ambition to do good. A military graveside service will be held at 11:00am, Friday, December 21st at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, MI. Memorial contributions can

be made to the Variety Club, 5757 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 445 Los Angeles, CA 90036 http://www.usvariety.org/.

The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, East Lansing, Michigan. On line condolences may be made at www.greastlansing.com