Thelma Elizabeth Ballard

Thelma “Elizabeth” Ballard, 98, of Bluefield, Virginia, passed away Sunday, October 8, 2023 at Princeton Community Hospital. She was the last surviving member of her immediate family. At 18 she married Basil (deceased), the love of her life and her husband of 60 years. With the onset of WWII, Basil immediately left to fight in the Pacific, and Elizabeth, a teenager, moved to Baltimore, Maryland to do her part for the war effort. There, she was hired by General Electric and sent to New York City for training. She would become an original Rosie the Riveter, making parts for B25 Bombers. With her passing, another of the few survivors of the Greatest Generation was lost. Following the war, they settled in Bluefield where they raised their four children. Elizabeth was a remarkable homemaker and working mother, retiring from Aramark in 1985. Over the years she attended Memorial Baptist Church and Bluefield Church of the Nazarene. Her relationship with God was an integral part of her life, always apparent in her daily living. She never turned anyone away, you were always welcome at her table, and she never spoke an unkind word. Left to honor her, are her children: Basil (Lenny) Ballard, Jr and his wife, Linda, of Abingdon; Donna Kessler of Bluefield; Kathy Winkler and her husband, John, of Bluefield; and Jimmy Ballard and his wife, Lisa, of Columbus, Ohio. She is also survived by 7 grandchildren who will always treasure their time with their beloved Grandma---Andy and Sarah Ballard, Rick Herald, Erin Winkler Burris and Tyler Winkler, Katelin Ballard Langen and Matthew Ballard. She also boasted of her 8 great grandchildren and a new great, great grandchild. Elizabeth lived her final years as a resident of The Havens Assisted Living, where she became a part of that community and formed an extended family that loved and cared for her. She loved working puzzles and was very proud of her picture book she kept of the hundreds of puzzles she had completed. She never lost that spunky spirit and quick wit, where only days before her passing she told Lenny, “It wouldn’t be so bad to move on, her kids were all old so they would be close behind!” A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Mercer Funeral Home at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. until the service hour. All are welcome to celebrate Elizabeth’s life and share their favorite memories. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully request memorial contributions be made to the Bluefield Union Mission, 2203 Bluefield Ave., Bluefield, WV 24701.

Thelma Elizabeth Ballard

January 12, 1925 - October 8, 2023