Mary P. Balk

Mary Patt (Abbott) Balk, 88, of Washington died Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, in Halcyon House in Washington.

A celebration of life will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Beatty Funeral Home in Washington. A time of visitation with the family will be held from 2 to 3 p.m., Oct. 29 at the funeral home. A memorial fund has been established for the Washington Public Library and the Washington YMCA.

Mrs. Balk was born June 5, 1928, in Rochester, Minnesota, the daughter of Dr. Walter D. and Ada Lee (Carroll) Abbott. She married Francis ?Jack? Balk on Sept. 20, 1952, at St. Augustin Catholic Church in Des Moines.

Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Des Moines, where she grew up. She attended St. Augustin grade school and graduated from St. Joseph Academy in 1946. She attended Monticello Girls College in Alton, Illinois, and the University of Iowa. After their marriage, she and her husband moved to Shullsburg, Wisconsin, where she was very active in the Girl Scouts. They later moved to Aledo, Illinois, where again she was actively involved in Girl Scouts. They then moved to Bettendorf and remained there until moving to Washington in 1969. She worked as an aquatics instructor at the YMCA-YWCA for 35 years. She served as aquatic director from 1975-1988. She was instrumental in starting the preschool program, and specialized in that area for many years. She was one of the first Special Olympics coaches in Iowa and enjoyed working with people with special needs. In later years she helped develop the Joint Effort program and taught that class for many years.

Surviving are two daughters, Kate Gerard of Cedar Rapids, and Abbe Rocha and husband Adam of Des Moines; and one grandson.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jack, in 2007; one brother, Tommy; and one sister, Nancy.