Randal W. Balderston (1947-2021)

BALDERSTON, MACHACEK, MORPHEW, RILEY

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 12/14/2021 at 08:47:02

Central City

Randal "Randy" W. Balderston, 74, of Central City, Iowa, passed away Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, at Mercy Medical Center. Visitation will be held from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion, Iowa. An additional visitation will be held an hour prior to the funeral service. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 17, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Marion with burial to follow at Jordan's Grove Cemetery in Central City. A livestream of the funeral service will be available on the church's website.

Randy was born Dec. 7, 1947, in Iowa, the son of Kenneth and Alma (Machacek) Balderston. He was a 1966 graduate of Alburnett High School and went on to get his degree in agriculture education from Iowa State University. On Dec. 21, 1968, Randy was united in marriage to Karen Morphew in Ames, Iowa, at the Calvary United Methodist Church. Randy was a lifetime farmer. He and Karen earned young farm family of the year in 1979. Other agricultural honors include master pork producer, master corn producer and master soybean producer. Randy served on the board of directors for the Linn County Farm Bureau, the Alburnett Community School board, Cedar Valley Farm Business Association and the Iowa Corn Growers Association. He served in several capacities with the Iowa Farm Bureau. He was an active member of the Farm Business Association and of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Marion. Randy was a Christian who lived out his faith in his love to God and family and country. Recently he became a member of the two-cylinder club and enjoyed outings with other farmers and their two-cylinder tractors. Randy will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Randy is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife of 53 years, Karen of Central City; three children, Kimberly Balderston of Davenport, Fla., Aaron (Dawn) Balderston of Alburnett and their three children, Jordan, Breanne and Mason, and Kristie (fiance, Greg Sarto) of Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.; and brother, C. Philip (Joyce) Balderston of Lakeville, Ohio, and their children, Eric of Ohio and Beth Balderston of Seattle, Wash.; brother-in-law, Keith Morphew of Mason City, Iowa; sister-in-law, Mary Riley of Lebanon, Conn., and her daughter Joy Alfano, also of Connecticut; two great-nieces; and two great-nephews.

He was preceded in death by his son, Ryan (Aaron's twin brother); parents, Kenneth and Alma; and brother, Keith.

A memorial fund has been established in Randy's memory to benefit several charities.

Please share a memory of Randy at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.