EDDY BALLARD

ADA-Services for Elzie Edgar (Eddy) Ballard, 92, of Ada, are 10:00 a.m. Saturday at the Criswell Funeral Home Chapel, Revs. Temple Diehl and Bob Langston will officiate. Burial will follow at Rosedale Cemetery with the Chickasaw Honor Guard conducting full military honors. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Friday at Criswell Funeral Home.

Mr. Ballard died Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at his home. He was born November 30, 1920 in Ada, Oklahoma to William E. and Flora Jones Ballard. He attended Ada Schools and in 1941 enlisted in the Army Air Corps. Following two years of extensive training was assigned to the 419 ^th Night Fighter Squadron. The next two years he participated in campaigns on Guadacanal, Bougainville, Middleburg and the Phillippine Islands as a Technical Inspector and Flight Chief with the rank of Tech/Sargeant. He was discharged from the Air Force November 11, 1945.

He married Merle Hopper on December 22, 1941 in Gulfport, Mississippi. He was a rancher and also employed with Merle Reed Plumbing Company and Pete Presley Plumbing Company. Mr. Ballard was a Director and Secretary/Treasurer of the Ballard Nursing Home Inc. from 1968 to 1985. He was a long time member of the Asbury United Methodist Church where he was on the Official Board and as a Trustee. Mr. Ballard held a membership in the Ada Round-Up Club and a charter member of the Little Red School House Committee. He also holds a life-time membership in the World War II Nightfighters Organization.

Survivors include his wife, Merle Hopper Ballard, of the home; a daughter, Charlotte A. Platt and husband David of Ada; a son John Thomas Ballard of Tulsa; eight grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; 3 great great grandchildren and two sisters, Rita Park of Ada, and Yvonne Pruitt and husband Dexter of Ada.

He was preceded in death by a son, Claude Edward Ballard; two sisters, Willie Reed and Virgie Weems and one brother Deon Ballard.

Bearers will be, David Earl Platt, Roger Busse, Jim Park, Bill Ballard and Richard Pearce.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Asbury United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 2342, Ada, OK 74820.

Obituaries may be viewed and online condolences sent to criswellfh.com.

Criswell Funeral Home