The Reverend William Roy Ballance, Jr.

The staff of Heishman Funeral Home/Valley Funeral Service sends condolences to the family of The Reverend William Roy Ballance, Jr. The Reverend William Roy Ballance, Jr., 85, of Woodstock, passed away peacefully on June 20, 2025, at The Warren Assisted Living in Woodstock, VA. A native of Norfolk, he was born May 17, 1940, the son of William Roy Ballance, Sr. and Audrey Virginia Mitchell Ballance Mathews. He graduated from Maury High School, Norfolk in 1958, Emory and Henry College, Emory, VA in 1962, and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC in 1969. He did graduate study at Garrett Theological Seminary, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. For the first 25 years of his life, he was a baptized member of the United Methodist Church. He was taught the Gospel, formed in the faith, and nurtured in fellowship at Southern Seminary. Pastor Ballance was ordained into the former Lutheran Church in America on June 8, 1969, at Christ Lutheran Church in Roanoke. He served as Assistant Pastor at Christ Church (1969-1970) and continued his ministry as the solo Pastor of the following Lutheran churches: St. James, Fishersville (1971-1978), Mount Calvary, Mt. Jackson (1978-1987), St. James, Hudson Crossroads (1988-1996. He was a member of Patmos, Woodstock, where he also served as Stated Supply Pastor. For 31 years he was also the Vice Pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church off Wolf Gap Road. His Christmas services at this isolated, historic church were the highlight of the Yule season for many. He continued serving there into his 80’s. During a chapter of part-time ministry, he worked as a waiter in local restaurants, including the former Hamilton, the Edinburg Mill, Sky Chalet, Lucio’s Restaurante Italiano at Bryce Resort and the River’d Inn, Woodstock. His service as a waiter was legendary. For ten years he also worked as the Night Auditor at the former Ramada Inn, Woodstock. Pastor Ballance was active in community affairs. As a rostered minister in the ELCA, he was active in various ministerial groups. He was an election official in the Mt. Jackson, Woodstock, and Absentee Ballot precincts. He was a trustee of the St. Thomas Trust, Middletown. He was a founding member of Aid for AIDS, Inc., which is now part of the Winchester AIDS Response. He was a past president of the Shenandoah Unit of the American Cancer Society and the Shenandoah Valley Music Guild. In 2017 he received the George Fishburn Award from the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival. He is survived by the local Lutheran pastors, dear friends, cousins, and many brothers and sisters in Christ. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday evening, July 2, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Mt. Jackson, with Pastor Matthew Diehl and Pastor Katie Gosswein presiding. You may pay your respects prior to the service and are invited to stay following the service for a time of mutual sharing and light refreshments. Burial will be on Thursday afternoon, July 3, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at historic Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg, Virginia. Memorial contributions for Pastor William Ballance may be made to Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, PO Box 484, 5983 Main St., Mt. Jackson, VA 22842. Online condolences may be left at www.valleyfs.com Arrangements by Heishman Funeral Home Inc., Valley Funeral Service Branch, Edinburg.

The Reverend William Roy Ballance, Jr.

May 17, 1940 - June 20, 2025