- Date Of Birth: January 30, 1934
- Date Of Death: November 13, 2022
- State: West Virginia
James Delano “Jim” Ballard, 88, of Clay Street, Grafton passed away on Sunday, November 13, 2022 at United Hospital Center following a battle with lung cancer.
Jim was born January 30, 1934 in Simpson, Taylor County, West Virginia, the youngest son of the late Marion Gus Ballard and Minnie Boone Ballard Sansburry. He shared a birthday with Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and was given the same middle name as an honor to the great president who had taken office the year before. When asked for his birthday, Jim would often enthusiastically add “The same as Roosevelt’s!”
He was educated in the public schools of Taylor County, and graduated from Grafton High School with the class of 1952. Jim was a former GHS varsity football player and devoted Grafton Bearcats supporter. He could often be seen having fun at football games – especially those years when he had family members on the football team or in the band.
Following graduation from high school, Jim served honorably with the United States Navy before returning to Grafton. He later moved to Fairmont where he began a career with the Owens-Illinois, Inc. Jim worked for many years at the O-I glass plant until its closure, and was proud of the work he performed there. He was particularly fond of the warm relationships he built with his co-workers over the years. Following O-I’s closure, he also worked for Pennsylvania-West Virginia Supply, as well as maintaining a budding semi-retirement job mowing lawns.
Never having met a stranger, Jim could talk to anyone and made friends everywhere he went. He will be remembered for his sense of humor, devilish grin, and love of jokes and pranks. Nearly everyone who knew Jim could relate a fun story about spending time with him, in particular during the many happy years he spent camping at Twin Lakes Campground near Belington, WV. Jim’s retirement years were spent continuing his pursuits of many life-long passions such as fishing, playing the lottery, smoking Lucky Strikes (until he said they became too expensive) and cheering on the WVU Mountaineers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jim is survived by his wife of 63 years, Marjory Alice “Marge” Henderson Ballard, whom he married on June 7, 1959 in Grafton. He is also survived by a sister-in-law and husband, Winifred Kay “Wynne” Proudfoot and Charles Robert “Chuck” Proudfoot of Grafton; a brother-in-law, James Henderson, of Denver, Colorado; a sister-in-law, Kathy Shaffer, of Huntington, WV; special nephews Chad N. Proudfoot of Grafton, Darrell “Rocky” Loughry and wife Kathy of Grafton; close friends Kathy Green of Grafton and Jim Jacobs of Grafton; as well as many other nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends who will miss him and think of him often.
In addition to his parents, Jim was preceded in death by two brothers, Charles Ballard of Shinnston, WV and Morris Ballard of Gallipolis, OH; one sister, Mary Louise Ballard Haller of Grafton; and an infant brother and sister.
