Obituary of William R. Balentine

William "Bill" R. Balentine, 87, passed away on Sunday, March 1, 2009 at his home surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer. Bill was born in 1921 in Philadelphia, PA to the late Ross and Elsie Balentine. He was a resident of Darien for over 50 years. Bill was also a resident of Margate, NJ where he spent every summer for the past 60 years. Bill is survived by his wife, Mary, of 64 years, and four children, Keith Balentine of Darien, Jack and Chris Balentine of Medford, NJ and their two children, Brittany and Aly; Kathleen Balentine Gunn and Thomas Gunn of Darien and their three children, Max, Alex and Samantha; Jan and John Mello of Westport and their three children, Kaitlyn, Colby and Hannah. He is also survived by his brother, Robert Balentine and Claire Balentine of Pennsylvania. Bill attended the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business before joining the U. S. Army. During World War II, he was a Captain in the 83rd Infantry Division based in Germany. Bill received many awards including the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation. Upon returning from WW II, he was employed by Dupont in Pennsylvania prior to starting his own company, Balentine & Schneier, Inc. which he owned and operated for more than 50 years. He was a past exalted ruler with the Elks Club of Mamaroneck, NY, a member of the Greenwich Builders Association and a member of the Darien Senior Men's Club. Bill was an honorable, generous and dedicated man who had a passion for this family and friends. He loved spending the summers together with his children and grandchildren in Margate, NJ. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1864 Post Road, Darien on Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 1:00 PM. Interment private. The family requests that memorial donations may be made to Post 53 Ambulance Service, P. O. Box 2066, Darien, CT 06820. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820