Carol Balkus Obituary

CAROL LYNN BALKUS
November 30, 1952 ˜ January 15, 2025

We are sad to announce the passing of Carol Lynn Balkus, nee Carol Lynn Fry, who passed away Jan. 15, 2025, at her home in Rio Rancho, NM after a long battle with Huntington’s Disease. Carol was born in Longview, WA to Edward and Dorothy Fry. She attended college, then began working for the U.S government, first at the Veteran’s Administration, then at the Bureau of Land Management as a land law examiner, spending more than three decades in two states during her career. While working in Farmington, Carol met then married her husband of forty-one years, Joseph Balkus. They wed on a blustery night in Las Vegas, and Carol enjoyed her dream of going to Hawaii for her honeymoon.
Carol enjoyed gardening and was a master seamstress, often sewing her own outfits for special occasions. She loved to travel, and together Carol and Joe roamed the world, going to Egypt, Columbia, and South America, as well as traveling the USA in their RV. An avid pet lover, Carol enjoyed cats and dogs her entire adult life, most recently dogs Digger and Frenchie.
Carol is survived by her husband Joe, brother Ed Jr., four nieces, four nephews, eight great-nieces, four great-nephews, seven great-great nieces, and two great-great nephews.
In lieu of flowers, Carol’s request was for donations to be made to the ASPCA.
Please share a memory @ www.columbian.com/obits