Robert E. "Bob" Balderston

Robert Earl “Bob” Balderston passed away on Sunday, February 1, 2015 at his home on Stockton, Kansas. He was born February 3, 1932 in Concordia, Kansas to Charles Lester and Viola (Adams) Balderston. Bob grew up attending the Stockton schools where he was an outstanding athlete in all sports. He was especially talented in football, playing both offense and defense. This ability landed him a scholarship to Kansas State University where he lettered for three years. During his senior year he played in the North-South Shrine Game in the Orange Bowl. As a member of the ROTC during college, Bob joined the United States Air Force, which became his career for 26 years. For twenty of those years he flew various planes from bases in Missouri, Texas, Washington, Montana, Michigan, South Carolina, Idaho, and Colorado, as well as Bermuda and Thailand. At Glasgow Air Force Base in Montana, he was the Aircraft Commander for a B-52 Bomber Crew. In 1969, he was assigned to Thailand where he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his 132 reconnaissance missions over Vietnam. Having met in the first grade in 1938, Bob and Joan Maddy were united in marriage on August 16, 1953 at the Christian Church in Stockton. They were blessed with three children, Rebecca, Deborah, and Bill. Though he was a reluctant traveler, Bob and Joan traveled extensively. Two of his favorite trips were to China, and the Antarctica. Bob was a lifetime lover of golf, the Denver Broncos, K-State Girls Basketball, and gardening. In addition, one of the highlights of his year was getting together with his family at Lake of the Ozarks. Bob will be missed and loved by his family. Survivors include his wife Joan of the home; children Rebecca Balderston and Roger Young, Deborah and J.D. Niermeier, Bill and Kathy Balderston; grandchildren Andrew and Andrea Niermeier, Carly and Justin Niermeier-Dohoney, Nicole Balderston, and Allison Balderston; and great-grandchildren Austen, Addy, and Amelia Niermeier, and Wyatt John Robert Niermeier-Dohoney He was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Viola Balderston, and grandson Rob Chesney. Bob was an honorable man who loved his God, family, and friends. He lived by example the core values of freedom and responsibility, which he passed on as a legacy to all who knew him. May he rest in the eternal peace of God, which passes all understanding, until we meet him again in eternal glory.