Donald W. Ballard

Donald Wesley Ballard passed away peacefully at home in Galena, IL, on February 6, 2026. He was 75 years old. He will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, a final honor for a man who believed in service, duty, and perseverance. The Furlong Funeral Chapel in Galena is assisting the family. Born in 1950 at the University of Chicago Hospital, Donald’s life began in the Midwest and, in time, returned there. He grew up in Oak Lawn, IL, before moving with his family to Los Gatos, California, and later to Maryland. Don, as his family and friends called him, was a man of strong, deeply rooted convictions. From his grandfather, he carried a phrase that stayed with him always: “Home is where you hang your hat.” For Don, home was less about geography and more about resolve. As a young man, he was a gifted musician, playing the trombone with distinction in the Washington Redskins marching band. Music demanded discipline and control, and he met both with seriousness. He later enlisted in the United States Navy and served aboard the USS Blue Ridge during the Vietnam War. His service shaped him. He rarely spoke about perseverance. He practiced it. After leaving the Navy, Don pursued education with determination. He earned a degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and later earned an MBA from James Madison University. He was a voracious reader and an independent thinker. Books were tools, not decoration. He believed the mind should remain engaged and sharpened across a lifetime. When each of his sons graduated from middle school, he presented them with a dictionary, a simple but enduring symbol of his belief that words, knowledge, and curiosity matter. He met Patricia McClure, fell in love, and started a family that became his greatest source of pride. Their three sons, Sean, Michael, and Stephen, were his proudest accomplishment. Above all, he wanted his children to find happiness and live with purpose. He was fiercely proud of his sons and later of his grandchildren. His love was not always soft in tone. It often came through high expectations, probing questions, and reminders to stay grounded. Yet it was unwavering. At home, he revealed another side. He created a fictional character named Peter the Parakeet and spun elaborate bedtime stories that his sons eagerly awaited. He loved classic comedy, especially The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy, and had a deep appreciation for classic cinema. Each Christmas, he carefully laid out a scale model train set, turning tradition into ritual and ritual into memory. He believed in family traditions and in preserving the values that bind generations. Don built a respected career in commercial banking. Among the accomplishments he valued most was helping finance Hawaiian Airlines’ fleet of airliners. He approached work with preparation, rigor, and a deep sense of responsibility. His life did not follow a straight line. His sons once described it as a “sometimes adventurous path.” There were seasons of challenge and reinvention. Through each one, he pressed forward. He recalculated, endured, and persevered. Tenacity was not something he advertised; it was something he lived. That determination now lives on in his children and grandchildren. After retirement, Don returned to the Midwest and settled in the Galena Territory. There, he became known as a kind, thoughtful, and occasionally cantankerous friend and neighbor. The gruff expression was unmistakable. So was the generosity beneath it. He loved his neighbors and their families and valued belonging to a close community. He was deeply sentimental. Few things animated him more than tracing family histories back through generations, recounting the journeys of ancestors who crossed oceans to begin again in America. He believed that knowing where you came from strengthened your ability to move forward. He wanted his family to feel rooted in something larger than themselves. Don loved mountains, trout streams, alpine lakes, camping, and long cross-country drives across the country he had served. In his later years, those journeys were shared with his devoted dog Chloe riding beside him. Those who knew him will remember the gruff face, the firm tone, and the probing questions. They will also remember the pride in his children, family stories, the insistence on prayer, and the quiet hope that each generation would live fully and find happiness. Dad leaves behind more than memories. He leaves an example of fortitude in the face of adversity, reverence for knowledge, devotion to family traditions, and a stubborn determination to keep going. He is survived by his sons Sean, married to Mary, with grandsons James and Chase; Michael, married to Emma, with granddaughter Colette and grandson Liam; and Stephen. He is also survived by his older brother William, his sister Nancy, and his brother Richard.