Netta Balke
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 6B - February 8, 2012
Netta Balke, 73, Grand
Junction, died Feb. 6, 2012, at
Hospice Care Center.
Services are pending with
Martin Mortuary.
Mrs. Balke was the owner of
the Cresthaus Ski Lodge.
Survivors include her husband,
Horst; one son, Stewart
of Seattle; one daughter, Erika
Castle of Colorado Springs; one
sister, Jean Pope of Annapolis,
Md.; and five grandchildren.
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D - February 12, 2012
Netta Madge Balke left this
Earth on February 6, 2012, surrounded
by her loving family, at
the Hospice Care Center in Grand
Junction.
Netta was born to Stewart and
Louisa May (Whitmarsh) Choate,
in Stoke-on-Trent, England on
November 8, 1938. She spent her childhood in Midhurst, England
before moving to Glasgow, Scotland where she graduated from the
Royal Scottish Academy for the Performing Arts. On December 9,
1961, she married the love of her life, Horst-J. Balke, in Dallas,
Texas.
Netta and Horst owned and operated the Crestahaus Lodge in Aspen
for many years, finally moving to Grand Junction in 2006. Netta
was vivacious and her joyful spirit was contagious. She loved being
around and entertaining people. A gracious hostess, she made her
guests feel as if they were part of the family. As her memory declined
Netta would see people she knew on the street, whom she
couldn't quite place. She would boldly ask them, "Are you
famous?"; regularly eliciting smiles.
Netta was an active member of Crossroads United Methodist
Church. She enjoyed knitting, sewing, writing, and reading, but her
true joy came from serving others as a devoted wife, mother,
grandmother, and friend. After the onset of her dementia, Netta established
new hobbies including playing the piano and painting.
Even after she lost her ability to speak, she amazed many by completing
endless books of word search puzzles.
Netta was preceded in death by her parents. She leaves behind her
husband of 50 years, Horst; daughter, Erika Castle of Colorado
Springs; son, Stewart of Seattle, Washington, and sister, Jean Pope
of Annapolis, Maryland, as well as her five grandchildren, Heather,
Amanda, John, Christopher and Andrea.
A celebration of Netta's life will be held on Sunday, February 19,
2012, at Crossroads United Methodist Church beginning at 2:00
p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice and Palliative
Care of Western Colorado. Condolences may be left for the
family at www.martinmortuary.com.
