Bernard J. Balthazar, Jr Obituary (1934 - 2017)

Bernard J. Balthazar Jr, 82, of Bloomington, passed away at 8:35 p.m. on Monday, January 30, 2017 at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington.His memorial mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at Holy Trinity Church, Bloomington, with Rev. Anthony Lee officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church. Cremation rites have been accorded by Carmody-Flynn Funeral Home, Bloomington.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Kidney Foundation or St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital Midwest Affiliate at the Childrens Hospital in Peoria.He was born March 23, 1934 in Natchitoches, LA, son of Bernard J. and Theresa LaCour Balthazar. He married Judith A. Mills on July 1, 1961.Surviving are his wife, Judith and his children, Mark Balthazar and Lisa (Matthew) Slater, all of Bloomington. Also surviving are three grandchildren, Alizarin Salmi and Callie Zackery Slater; two sisters, Norma Balthazar Mullon of Chicago and Beverly Balthazar Dodd of Louisiana and one brother, Alphonse (Anna) Balthazar of Louisiana.He was preceded in death by one brother, Harold Joseph Balthazar.He was a United States Air Force Veteran, serving from 1951-1955. Bernard graduated from Chicago Teachers College in 1961 and then from Chicago State University in 1972 with his Masters Degree in Counseling. He dedicated the majority of his career to counseling and educating individuals at the Cook County House of Corrections and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. After his retirement he started a second career as a customer service representative for American Airlines, retiring in 2000. He and Judy then moved to Bloomington, where Bernard enjoyed working at Kingsley Junior High School in Normal.