Kenneth Otto Balej, of North Riverside, passed away at the age of 73 on Nov. 5, 2000. He was the beloved husband of Pearl, nee Reinick; loving father of Diana (Bruce) Helling, Sandra (Robert) Povlock and Mark Balej; grandfather of Robert Povlock II; brother of Ronald Balej and Carole Hurt; son of the late Otto and Lillian, nee Titlowski, Balej; and nephew of Libuse Kral. Mr. Balej was a proud veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII, was a member of the Masonic Lodge and a member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brookfield. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Kuratko Funeral Home, 2500 S. Des Plaines Ave., North Riverside. Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the funeral home, preceding interment at Woodlawn Cemetery. A military service will be held at graveside. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Masonic Children’s Home, S 9th Ave. and W 47th Street, LaGrange, IL, would be greatly appreciated. Ken (husband, father, grandfather) was greatly loved and will be missed very much by his family and friends. Funeral info, 708-447-2500.
