Francis U Ballegeer

Francis Urbaan Ballegeer, 92, of East Moline, died August 2, 2021, at home.

There will be a visitation from 4-7pm Friday, August 6, 2021, with a Rosary to be recited at 7:00 p.m. at Esterdahl Mortuary and Crematory, Ltd., Moline.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 7, 2021, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 201 1st St., Colona. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Military Honors will be conducted by Colona American Legion.  In lieu of flowers, it was Francis’s wish for memorials to be made to the family for a fund to be established. (Checks to “Francis Ballegeer” will suffice.)

Francis was born on October 31, 1928, in Moline, the third child and second son of Urbaan and Goldie (Callewaert) Ballegeer. He married Marilyn Schwenneker on Sept. 16, 1950, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in East Moline.

Francis worked a few years for the East Moline Street Department, at Emil De Donker’s Feed Mill in East Moline, then briefly at a foundry before joining the US Marine Corps for two years. After the Marine duty, Francis and his wife Marilyn rented a farm near Carbon Cliff for two years. Then they bought a farm in Green Rock from Emil De Donker. That farm, and half of the Urbaan Ballegeer farm on Coaltown Road are still owned and farmed by Francis’s family.  While farming, Francis was elected Road Commissioner of Colona Township; he served for 4 years in that capacity.

In his younger years, Francis enjoyed motorcycling and water skiing for recreation. In all of his years, probably his favorite recreation was horseback riding. He participated in many organized trail rides, shoed horses for several years, and enjoyed western movies immensely.

In his later years, Francis loved sitting on the deck overlooking the Ballegeer Pond with his wife, Marilyn. After Marilyn’s passing in 2014, he seemed to especially enjoy the company of his little great-grandchildren.

Survivors include sons, Larry (Mary Kay) Ballegeer, East Moline, David (Robbin) Ballegeer, Geneseo, Ill., and Steve Ballegeer Cleveland, Ill.; grandchildren: (Larry’s) Shannon, Mitch, and Megan, (David’s) Josh, Jake, Joseph, James, (Sherry’s) Jason Anderson and Adam McKeag, (Steve’s) Stephanie; ten great-grandchildren, Jeremy, Dallas, Desirae, Destiny, Hunter, Emery, Rylie, Judd, Deegan, and William; two step-grandchildren, Brandon and Nick, and Francis’s brother Donald.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Marilyn, his sister Catherine Miller, and brothers Edward, Leonard, and Robert Ballegeer; and daughter Sherry McKeag.

There are some who said Francis had nine lives, having had a direct hit in the face by a kick from a stallion when Fran was about 16, getting pinned under the rear wheel of a tractor that overturned on a hillside, being attacked by a swarm of bumblebees while shoveling corn out of a corn crib, and surviving the removal of a large patch of skin cancer on his back.

The family wishes to thank especially Sara Versluys and Karla Dodge for their loving nursing care in Fran’s declining years.

May Francis rest in peace in God’s presence.

Online condolences may be left for his family by visiting the tribute wall.