Balik, Anthony Paul 1943 - 2022
BALIK, MAGNER, HANNA, CLEMENTS, SCOTT, ANDERSON, SORSEN, LOWE, BERNETZ
Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 7/8/2022 at 15:10:10
Anthony “Tony” Paul Balik regained his freedom and entered the gates of Heaven on July 4, 2022.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 8, 2022, at St. Ludmila Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at St. Wenceslaus Church in Spillville, Iowa. Father Kenneth J. Glaser will officiate. Burial will be held in the church cemetery.
Tony was born on August 13, 1943, to Robert and Helen Balik in Decorah, Iowa and grew up in Spillville, Iowa. He graduated from South Winneshiek Community High School in 1961. Days after his graduation, he suffered a farming accident that left him blind. With much determination, he learned, and eventually mastered, the skills necessary for his new way of life at the Department for the Blind Rehabilitation Center in Des Moines. Tony went on to graduate from Loras College with a degree in Sociology. He was a member of Alpha Phi Beta and received the distinguished Key Award for service to campus and community. Tony and Mary Magner were married in 1966 and are the parents of four children. They later divorced.
On January 5, 1980, he and Jane Hanna were married and combined their two families. They were married for 41 years before Jane’s passing on March 1, 2021.
Tony worked for the Iowa Department of Human Services as a social worker in the Child and Adult Protective Services in both Cedar Rapids and Marshalltown over the next 37 years. He served on the Child Abuse Prevention Service Board, the Marshall County Drug Task Force, and the Social Justice Committee. Tony was a member of St. Henry’s Catholic Church in Marshalltown and St. Ludmila Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. He was also active in the Salvation Army, House of Compassion, a past president of Kiwanis Club in Marshalltown and a charter member of Hi-CREW in Cedar Rapids.
In January 2009, Tony briefly regained the gift of sight through artificial cornea procedure completed by doctors at the University of Iowa. This allowed him to see for the first time in 40 years. The procedure lasted three years. Tony’s hobbies included woodworking, fishing, pottery, cooking, camping, playing cards, listening to St. Louis Cardinals and Iowa Hawkeye games, and socializing.
Tony is survived by his daughters, Annette (Andrew) Clements and Sara (Rob) Scott; sons, Peter Balik (Carmen Anderson) and Jeremiah Balik; stepchildren, Robert Justin (Dawn) Hanna and Christina Sorsen; grandchildren, Allison, Megan, and Mitchell Clements, Isaac, Olivia, and Trevor Scott, Michelle, Ranger and Ben Hanna, and Logan and Brenden Sorsen; siblings, Robert Jr. (Cathy) Balik, Kay Lowe, Joan Balik, Ruth (Tom) Bernetz, David Balik, Mary Balik, Mark Balik, Steve (Terri) Balik, and Lynn Balik; along with many nieces, nephews and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife: Jane. Parents: Robert and Helen Balik and brother, Jerry Balik.
Although Tony lost his sight, he persevered through many adversities and challenges. He remained independent, creative, and positive throughout his life on earth. He was a true inspiration to all who knew him.
Thank you to the Meth-Wick and Sodexo staffs, University of Iowa Eye Clinic, and Hospice.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kiwanis Clubs of Marshalltown or Hiawatha or Friends of the Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped.
Source: Helms Funeral Home database
St. Wenceslaus Cemetery
Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen