Obituary of Roger William Balmer

Roger W. Balmer passed away peacefully March 27 at his home in State College.

His memorial service will be Tuesday, April 18, 1.30 pm, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 208 West Foster Avenue (corner of Frazier and Foster), State College, with a reception in Canterbury Hall following the service. It will also be live-streamed on St. Andrew's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/standrewsc/.

Roger was born October 30, 1947 in Newton, Iowa and attended country school through fourth grade before attending Colfax schools through high school graduation. He graduated from Iowa State University, where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He retired from the Army as a Major after 26+ years of combined active, reserve, and guard assignments. His "day job" during those years was business manager of the Iowa State Student Health Center.

He and his wife Kathy Johnston moved to State College in 2018, where he quickly became involved with the Central PA chapter of the Military Officers Association and the NLB (Nittany Lion Battalion) at Penn State. He also volunteered at the Boal Mansion and Museum and at Centre Furnace Mansion. In 2021 Roger was awarded the Honorable Order of St. Barbara by the U.S. Air Defense Artillery Association for continued service to others beyond his military career.

Roger developed into an enthusiastic tailgater and Penn State football fan as well as discovering that lacrosse was the "perfect" spectator sport. Living in the midst of history also brought him great joy. He was always ready for a "road trip" to a battlefield, a museum, a historic site, or even a scenic drive over a mountain.

Left to treasure his memory are his wife Kathy, of State College; his brother Gary and wife Jolene of Traverse City, Michigan; and his sister Diane and husband Craig Schneiderwent of Madison, Wisconsin. Roger is also survived by a son, Jerry (Mindi); a daughter, Angela Rice (Kevin); a daughter-in-law, Stacey Brown; and three grandchildren, all of Iowa. He was preceded in death by a son and his first wife.

Because Roger always believed in service to others, in place of flowers please consider a donation to the Parishoners' Ministry at St. Andrew's (standrewsc.org) or engage in service of your own through an organization or group that provides help to those in need.