DARLENE ELLEN BALLER
Darlene Ellen Baller
Darlene Ellen Baller was born in Hawthorne, California on October 30, 1935. She was the youngest daughter of Marie & Richard (Bud) Baller. She had one sister, Beverly, who preceded her in death. She is also preceded in death by a beloved sister-in-law, Millie Palmquist, a cousin, Mary Charlton and her stepfather, Earl Hern. Her husband, Stephen Birgel, preceded her in death in 2019.
Darlene spent her entire young life in the Los Angeles area. She graduated from Los Angeles High School. She got to know the Lord during her junior high years through the youth fellowship of Wilshire Methodist Church. It was there that she met her first husband, Richard Palmquist. They married shortly after she graduated from high school.
Darlene followed her husband to many places over the years, including his time in the military in Kansas, Germany, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas. Her first daughter, Cara Lee, was born in 1955, followed by Susan Marie in 1959 and Gary Theodore in 1967. She married her second husband, Stephen Birgel, in San Antonio, Texas in 1996. They moved as to Phelan, CA, Wimberley TX, and in their final years to Woodland Hills, CA.
Wherever Darlene lived, she looked for ways to help others. From tutoring youth to helping children with special needs to visiting people in nursing homes, to taking in a foster child, she always reached out to help to better the lives of others. She was active with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Reconciling Congregation program with the United Methodist Church, and the Barnabas Connection. She also volunteered for Hope Hospice in the Wimberley, TX area for many years. She always had room at her table to include a person who was alone, and she treasured the relationships that happened when she broke bread with others.
Church was always an important part of Darlene’s life. She sang in the choir and was a member of Sunday School and Bible Study classes. She was an active member of the Wimberley United Methodist Church until she & Steve moved to southern California in 2017. There, she joined the Prince of Peace Episcopal Church, and again looked for ways to serve in their new home. She was a natural caregiver in attending to her beloved husband, Steve, and this gave incredible meaning to her life. She was his primary caregiver until the day he died.
She made friends easily and entertained regularly. She was a great cook who treasured time with family and friends around the dinner table.
She is survived by her three children, Cara Reedy (John); Susan Palmquist (Phyllis Kline); and Gary Palmquist (Katie); her grandchildren, Amanda Jeffus; Allie Butler (Logan); Jake Reedy (Kara); Leslie Cerny, and four great grandchildren. The family misses her deeply & will always love her!
A celebration of life will be held October 30th at 1:00 pm at Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Woodland Hills, CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Barnabas Connection at barnabasconnects.org or West Valley Food Pantry at westvalleyfoodpantry.org.