J. D. Ballard

J. D. Ballard, 90, Duke, passed away at his home Saturday morning. Funeral services are scheduled for10:30 AM, Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at the Duke Church of Christ with Bill Osborne and Mike Suiter officiating. Burial will take place in the Prairie Hill Cemetery under the direction of Kincannon Funeral Home. J. D. was born December 15, 1919 to Jesse Lee and Nettie (Hall) Ballard in Duke, Oklahoma. A lifelong resident of southwest Oklahoma, he graduated from Duke High School in 1940. On March 22, 1941, he married Maurine Brock at Hollis, Oklahoma. He entered the Navy in May of 1943 and served his country during WWII in the Pacific Theater as a gunner aboard a Merchant Ship. He was honorably discharged as a Seaman First Class in January of 1946. Mr. Ballard returned home to the family farm following the war and enjoyed farming the rest of his life. He was a long time member of the Duke Church of Christ and was very active in his church work and church activities. Mr. Ballard was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, Marie Walker and Lela Martin, and three brothers, Monroe, Quint Lee and Curtis Ballard. He is survived by his wife, Maurine, of the home; his son, Joel Ballard of New York City, NY; two sisters, Emma Meadville and Lucille Sumrow, both of Duke, OK; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions may be made to the Diabetes Foundation or to the Duke Church of Christ Building Fund.