Raymond Balaberda

Balaberda : Raymond Joseph Balaberda aged 75 years of Manitou Beach passed away at Watrous District Health Complex on Tuesday, May 17th, 2016. Raymond was the oldest child born March 20, 1941 to Joseph and Mary (nee: Mackowetski) Balaberda. He was born at his home on a farm near Melville SK and he went to public school in Plainsview School District. He attended high school at St. Joseph's in Yorkton. Raymond married Rita Bourasa and they had two children, Keith and Sheila. On June 3, 1995 Ray married Julie Racicot and they lived in the Fox Creek Alberta district where he worked for Chevron. Ray was a steam engineer and worked at several gas plants in Alberta and up north during his career. He retired from the oil and gas industry in 1991 and bought his little dream house on the shores of Manitou Beach Saskatchewan. He loved living there. After his retirement he and Julie went on a holiday to Brazil at New Year's and for Ray and Julie it was a trip of a lifetime. Ray was a real family, man he would phone his aunts and uncles and cousins and the kids and visit them as much as he could or at least kept in touch by phone. May he rest in peace. Ray leaves to mourn his loving wife Juliette; his son Keith (Kari); his daughter Sheila Balaberda-Andreou; 5 grandchildren, Alek, Jake and Kyla Balaberda, Omaha, Nebraska and Chelsea and Tighe Andreou, Vancouver BC; his siblings, Russell (Donna), Medicine Hat, Rita (Henry) Woolridge, Regina, SK, Beverly (Keith) Kelbough, Springside, SK, and Gerald (Linda), Regina; 9 nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life will take place at Manitou Beach Community Hall on Friday, May 20th, 2016 at 2:00 pm . Interment will take place in Yorkton Cemetery at a later date . For online condolences, tributes or to make a donation in his memory to the Canadian Diabetes Association please visit fotheringham-mcdougall.com