Lucas L. 'Luke' Balock, 86

Lucas L. “Luke” Balock, 86, of Whitefish, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, Feb. 17, 2014.

Luke was born on July 21, 1927, in Roundup. He graduated from Roundup High School in 1945 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in the Sea Bees. He proudly served in the Phillipines in 1945 and 1946 and was honorably discharged.

On May 22, 1948, he married the love of his life, Catherine Antoinette “Toni” Brown at St. Patrick’s Church in Billings.

Luke was a jack-of-all-trades and a master of many. He worked as a brakeman/conductor for the Milwaukee Railroad in Harlowton and Roundup. He also owned several successful businesses in his lifetime, including the Roundup Creamery in the early 1960s. He then moved his family to Billings and worked for Darigold in Laurel. Shortly after that he bought Valley Distributing which he operated until 1974. During that time he also was a partner in the Molly Brown Bar in Bozeman and Billings. In 1974 he moved the family to Denver and worked for a former supplier. Missing his home state, he moved back to Bozeman in 1976 and worked for Edsall Construction into the 1980s.

In his later years, he and his wife Toni settled in western Montana and he resided in Whitefish at the time of his passing.

Luke loved Montana and never met a stranger. In whatever part of the state he traveled through, he was proud of the fact of always knowing someone from there. He loved to fish and enjoyed the company of many friends on outings in Roundup, Harlowton and Bozeman. His greatest pride and joy though, was spending time with his family hunting, fishing or just going for a ride on a country road with his “girlfriend” of 64 years, “Toni.” He was very proud of all six of his children.

Luke was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Rose; sisters, Margaret, Helen and Rose; as well as his eldest son, Brian.

He is survived by his wife, Toni; his sister, Mildred Pederson, of Boulder; his daughter, Barbara Rose, of Boulder, Colo., and husband Arnie Ostrander; son, Jim, of Houston, Texas, and wife Mary Ann; daughter, Kathy Gearhart, of Whitefish; son, Rob Balock, of Henderson, Nev.; and daughter, Nancy Mortier, of Newcastle, Wash., and husband Michael; his granddaughters, Calla and Ursula Ostrander, Lauren and Julia Mortier and Kate Gearhart, grandsons, Scott and wife Ali, and Tyler Gearhart and fiancee Kate; great-granddaughter Olivia, and great-grandson Henry Gearhart.

Luke most recently attended Immaculate Conception Church in Polson. Per Luke’s request, no services were conducted. His family gathered in his home in Whitefish to celebrate his life. His ashes will be interred on at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at Lake View Cemetery in Polson.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made in his honor to the Polson Senior Center, 504 Third Ave. E in Polson, to the attention of Kaye Stam.