Willis Calvin Balt

Willis Balt

Sanborn, Iowa

The Service will be Livestreamed on www.sheldonfirstreformed.com

Military graveside services by McGlothlen-Cowie Post #145 of the Sheldon American Legion.

Willis Calvin Balt was born September 17, 1936 to Conrad and Nellie (Van Meeteren) Balt on a farm east of Sheldon, Iowa. Willis attended country and Christian elementary schools and graduated from Hull Western Christian High School in 1956.

     On January 6, 1961 he was united in marriage to Henrietta “Toots” Van Ravenswaay. After their marriage they moved to Fort Riley in Manhatten, Kansas where Willis was stationed as a corporal in the Army. They moved back to Sheldon after his discharge. Together they had three children Wayne, Marcia and Jerry.

     Willis worked at Koyker Manufacturing in Hull, Iowa from 1963 until it closed. He was a star route mail carrier for many years. From 1981 through 2003, Willis was the custodian at the First Reformed Church in Sheldon. He also had various part-time custodial jobs at businesses in Sheldon.

     On February 8, 2019, Willis and his wife moved to Prairie View Nursing Home in Sanborn, Iowa. Henrietta passed away at Prairie View on March 5, 2019. Willis remained in Prairie View until his passing on February 25, 2023, reaching the age of 86 years, 5 months and 8 days.

     Willis was a member of the Sheldon First Reformed Church. Willis enjoyed watching the news channels and RFD. He was an avid reader of Readers Digest, books and loved to read the local newspapers. He did many word search books also with his wife.

     Those left to remember his memory are his 3 children, Wayne Allen and Pixie (Bloemendaal) Balt of Hospers, Iowa; Marcia Renae Balt of Sheldon; Jerry Evan and Brenda (Van Beek) Balt of Sheldon; 3 grandchildren, Angela (Andrew) Roelfs of Sioux Center, Iowa, Ashley Balt of Sheldon, and Travis Balt of Orange City, Iowa; 3 great-grandchildren, Arabelle, Amara and Aven Roelfs; a brother-in-law, Peter L. Vander Zwaag and a brother and sister-in-law, Cort and Gertrude Victoria and many other relatives and friends.

     Willis was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Henrietta; a great-grandson, Reegan Drew Roelfs; his parents, his in-laws, Gerrit and Cynthia (Mulder) Van Ravenswaay; his brothers, Henry and Cynthia Balt, Edwin and Ann Balt and Richard and Marianne Balt; 3 sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Richard and Wilmina Van Ravenswaay, Madeline Vander Zwaag and Loren and Lela Van Heuvelen and a nephew, Larry Van Heuvelen.